Confirming Cooperation

"She may have something the Holy Infant has taken an interest in—perhaps a talent. That could be why the Holy Infant has said so much for once!" one expert said excitedly.

Yes, Shiraishi Wataru had only spoken four sentences, but three of them had been directed at Kasegawa Haru. That gave them reason to believe that the woman might possess some talent that had drawn the Holy Infant's particular attention.

After that, Shiraishi Wataru said nothing more. He simply sat quietly, waiting for William to arrive.

Five minutes later, William stood in front of the door. He steadied his slightly ragged breathing from hurrying over, straightened his clothes, then signaled the surveillance room to open it.

After he entered the isolation room and set down his phone and other devices, the door to the room where Shiraishi Wataru was waiting finally opened.

William glanced at the food on the table and at Kasegawa Haru, then put on his trademark smile and took a seat diagonally across from the Holy Infant.

"Holy Infant Lord, I greet you on behalf of Ricky, commander of the U.S. Forces Japan, and the Special Incident Countermeasures Bureau. We're delighted by your return."

The Holy Infant gave him a slight nod.

Behind the monitors, someone's brow twitched as if he had thought of something. He looked at the others and saw that they were looking back at him too. Their exchanged glances confirmed that he wasn't the only one who had thought of it.

Commander Ricky stood in the middle, stroking his mustache without changing his expression.

"There aren't many suitable vessels for me at present. I'm relatively satisfied with this body."

Shiraishi Wataru said it as if he didn't care in the slightest that he had revealed something important about this body. It was practically like handing them a card.

"If Holy Infant Lord needs more vessels, perhaps we could be of some small help," William offered. He didn't expect the offer to be taken up, though.

Shiraishi Wataru didn't continue that line of conversation. He gestured for William to sit.

"It seems you've run into some trouble," Shiraishi Wataru said mildly as he sipped his tea.

William swallowed. He listened to the experts in his earpiece list a few priority questions, took several seconds to consider them, then spoke.

"Holy Infant Lord, what kind of... being is the Faker?"

"An annoying fellow." Shiraishi Wataru kept it brief. He had prepared the character, but there was no need to reveal everything at once.

In fact, even that one sentence contained plenty of information.

"We've always wanted to know: what is Holy Infant Lord's purpose in developing members and granting them power? Perhaps there's a possibility of cooperation between us."

Shiraishi Wataru set down his teacup and stared at William for a while. The latter's back grew damp with sweat in the low-temperature room.

Meanwhile, Kasegawa Haru, sitting to one side and trying desperately to make herself inconspicuous, had nearly buried her head in her bowl.

She had only one thought: They're not going to silence me, are they?

This information was clearly beyond the reach of a lowly B- like her.

"I've heard a proverb in your world: 'skin a tiger for its pelt.' Your current thinking fits that saying rather well."

After a long silence, Shiraishi Wataru finally spoke.

"But I'm a little surprised you made your decision so quickly. I thought you'd wait until more Descenders arrived before circumstances forced you to choose a partner. From my perspective, cooperation is indeed the only possible way for your civilization to survive."

Do you really underestimate the Holy Son Pill's life-extending, healing, and awakening effects that much? The cooperation faction's fundamental goal is actually to get their hands on those. Circumstances may have something to do with it, but they're hardly the deciding factor, William grumbled to himself.

"We understand that our civilization might be no match for a high-energy plane like yours. But please believe me when I say that our civilization's resilience will impress you." William shamelessly sang humanity's praises.

Shiraishi Wataru made no comment.

"I can tell you that in high-energy planes, we call people with a spirit of adventure who aim to explore other planes travelers. But most travelers can spend their entire lives without successfully crossing even one plane and bringing back information. Those who return alive from another plane can call themselves Great Travelers."

"But there are exceptions. Over the long years, a few exceptionally gifted travelers have crossed who knows how many planes. They brought us a great deal of information and many items, while also inspiring and advancing our civilization considerably. For that reason, they were honored as pioneers. And according to the reliable information I have, at least one pioneer once came to this plane and left behind a treasure for reasons unknown. We came here for that item."

This was the first time the Holy Infant had revealed so much information. The experts behind the monitors were already caught up in excitement or deep thought.

William was a little stunned. Countless experts had analyzed the purpose of these supernatural beings' arrival in their world. The prevailing view was that they meant to plunder, occupy, or colonize it. And now the Holy Infant was telling them they had come looking for something?!

He had two thoughts: That thing must be incredibly valuable. And is the Holy Infant telling the truth?

Until they could verify the information, they certainly wouldn't believe everything the Holy Infant said.

But they could make a hypothesis: assume for now that everything the Holy Infant said was true, while keeping in mind that he might be withholding certain details.

"Then... what kind of item is it? Could we help?" William asked tentatively.

Shiraishi Wataru shook his head. "A treasure can only be found at a specific time by a specific person. It's already good enough if you don't get in the way."

"Let's stop beating around the bush. Put all our cards on the table and get straight to the point. With these supernatural beings... let's hope sincerity can count as a card too." Commander Ricky issued his order.

At the order, William sat up straight and faced Shiraishi Wataru.

"Holy Infant Lord, we're willing to cooperate with the Holy Infant Society. We'll withdraw all charges against Holy Infant Members, release every member in custody, and allow activities on the condition that they don't harm our interests." William laid all their bottom lines on the table in one breath.

Shiraishi Wataru listened, still wearing his impassive expression.

"Agreed."

Two simple words brushed aside everything William had just said. But you haven't said what you're offering us!

It couldn't be that you were just getting something for free, could it?!

"Your people can join the Society as normal and exchange contributions for Holy Son Pills. If they encounter an existence they can't handle, they can ask the Society to intervene."

On the other end of the earpiece, Commander Ricky and the experts launched into heated discussion.

"Perhaps we can negotiate for more benefits, like information about the various factions and that treasure!"

"Don't push it. Our priority should be to take a realistic approach and secure this first cooperation. It'll be the foundation for future cooperation!"

"Right. We can't rely on old ways of thinking about negotiations when dealing with supernatural beings."

"We need more time to study them and unravel the mysteries of the supernatural. Only then can we truly begin what you might call negotiations."

The heated debate died down after a few minutes. Everyone looked to Commander Ricky and Director Inoue. They were the ones who would make the final decision.

Inoue had already weighed the matter. These terms fell somewhat short of the leadership's bottom line, but they had no better bargaining chips to offer, so he was inclined to agree.

Ricky glanced at him. Seeing Inoue's approving look, he picked up the device and relayed his instructions to William.

After receiving Commander Ricky's clear instructions, William drew a deep breath and spoke with solemnity. "Holy Infant Lord, I look forward to a fruitful partnership."