Sadim entered with one of the officials, walking heavily. Farid raised his hand in greeting.
"Welcome, respected Madam."
"What is going on here? Why did you attack my son's palace without informing me?"
"Since when do we warn people before we attack?!"
"But I am not 'people.' I am the ruler of this region."
"Legally, we consider you 'people.' You are the ruler out there, but here, you are a subject of investigation and stripped of all your authority as a ruler."
"How dare you?"
"I haven't said anything new. You know your specialization and the nature of your rights and duties. Furthermore, let me not mention that your political system is corrupt and based on family favoritism instead of efficiency and merit..."
Sadim banged the table angrily and rose from her seat, giving the Interrogator a threatening look.
"And what do you know about politics? Should I understand from your words that you want to form a political party?!"
The other official said:
"The Interrogator is following procedures. You are the one who entered with this aggression, and when he responded, you flew into a rage..."
Sadim lifted her hands, which began to tremble with anger, from the table, and the soldiers aimed their weapons at her.
"Respected Sadim, do not proceed with any reckless behavior."
She then continued after taking a deep breath and sitting back down:
"Violence is not a solution for me, although I can kill both of you and the soldiers, you Prototype, without even moving. I will adhere to the law you love and file a report with the Center when I leave, invoking the Governor's authority regarding your unprofessional investigation style. Your mission is to contain anger instead of igniting it with provocative phrases. Are you alright, my son?"
"Yes."
One of the staff members entered and said:
"Sir Neuhaus, some respected officials and people of authority, and the Branch Director are in the conference room. They want to meet the subject and the respected Sadim."
"Give me the two rings."
In a luxurious hall dominated by black, indigo, and purple—a feast for the eyes—and lit by dim light. The marble floor, resembling the metal Flexomantium, was cracked in beautiful patterns, like shattered glass over a purple color visible through the cracks, and a red carpet adorned with golden threads. The walls were black with Gothic windows overlooking an indigo forest. Against the wall opposite the door was a detailed statue of a winged woman made of limestone. Even the hair and clothes looked realistic. She emerged from the wall, holding a glass table with incense that had a light scent, like that of paper currency, and other strangely shaped objects. From the ceiling, which had glowing sky-blue lines like neon lights, small points twinkled. From that ceiling hung many indigo-colored flowers, along with chandeliers lit by blue-flamed candles, centering on a huge white chandelier made of bones with hands holding torches. Around the black rectangular table was a cover with shades of blue and indigo, featuring slightly glowing moving white lines, and indigo-colored plates and utensils. Black chairs with comfortable indigo foam upholstery were arranged around it, possessing a massage feature that resembled a cat's purr when pressed, melting the sitter into infinite comfort.
The hall was filled with many people in slightly loose white uniform clothing, over which was an indigo cloak adorned with golden stars embracing their shoulders, their arms wrapping around their torso to the back, secured by a gold belt decorated with inscriptions. They wore a tie that resembled a hangman's noose.
Among them were Sir Neuhaus, several elderly people and young men, and some ladies. The Head of the Facility, Gamatiuos, was sitting at the center of the council in the seat behind the statue. Everyone suddenly fell silent and looked at the door.
It was only Sadim.
"He is coming."
Two seconds later, Farid appeared, surprised by the gazes of thirty-four people looking at him in ominous silence.
"This is my son. Come sit next to your father."
Farid heard distant whispers as he moved toward the empty seat:
"He literally matches the description of the Sixth."
"He is a handsome young man."
An old man with a cheerful face and a thick white beard spoke:
"I never imagined I would live to meet you. How are you, my respected Sir?"
Farid didn't know how to respond, so he just nodded his head.
"He is still new to this world, but it's fine. Do not underestimate him; he was a scientist in his past life."
"Is that true, Sir Ninth?"
Farid gathered his courage and took a deep breath, then began to speak.
"First, hello, and thank you for asking about my condition. I am fine, and I hope you are well too, Sir. Secondly, I would like you to call me Farid. I am not used to this 'Ninth' title, and I hope my style is not strange, for as my father (in quotes) said, I only Translocated... [Farid thought for a second that everything that passed was only one day]... yesterday. Your days are very long."
The old man spoke:
"I am perfectly well, Sir, by your presence. Gamatiuos, don't you have anything to say?"
Gamatiuos gave him a sidelong glance and said:
"No... Let's get to the heart of the matter. What is your opinion on the matter of the announcement?"
The old man replied:
"I think the matter is clear. There is no need for such a resounding announcement. It will only bring problems. The priority is his training and teaching him the fundamentals of this world."
Gamatiuos spoke:
"On the contrary, the announcement will strengthen their faith, and perhaps we will even unite the fundamentalist Hexagonal current with the Reformist, and the problems and sectarian conflicts will end."
Another man spoke:
"Personally, I am with Ramez. The world is not ready yet. Some people might get mass hysteria, and things will get out of control..."
An old man with a large nose and a few freckles spoke:
"That is true. They might consider him an omen of evil and a harbinger of a new extinction. Besides, he is not ready yet; he doesn't even suppress his aura."
"Speaking of which, Sir Dortchelli, I heard the Vascians got the criminal Marcel a few days ago."
"Yes, that is true."
Gamatiuos spoke:
"The Reality Anchor has been recording unnatural readings for four days now, even before the Ninth appeared."
One of the people spoke:
"Are you alluding to narrative direction or something similar?"
"The Phenomenal Reality has not changed significantly yet, only some disturbed readings that are insufficient for cosmic manipulation. They mostly point to a misunderstanding of the world, meaning different and conflicting perspectives. So, the most likely possibility is that it is due to several beings observing what is happening, and not just one, which creates a state of low indeterminacy."
"Are you suggesting that we are characters in a novel entertaining people in a different world?"
"Perhaps, and I think they are human beings too, because out of all the potential protagonists within every modal realism model, the observer chose humans. And we tested the theory of Farid being Gary Stu, meaning the perfect character who doesn't make mistakes or the author's embodiment in a novel, but the result was negative. He was beaten and insulted, and we did not see any phenomenal intervention."
Farid's eyebrows furrowed in an angry look at Gamatiuos.
"
Honestly, I doubt the intentions of this du... this colleague you have here. I mean, you people sanctify the symbolism of the Ninth, but I see him indifferent, looking down upon you with a cursed arrogance."
Sir Neuhaus spoke:
"Errr... In summary, whoever votes to reveal the secret of the Ninth, please raise your hand. [7 people] Seven. And whoever votes not to reveal the secret [18 people]. Okay, ten people, including Farid, abstained from voting. The session is adjourned."
"No, it is not adjourned yet. I will mobilize guards to monitor Farid and anything that might happen."
"What is this, Gamatiuos? Why are you so spiteful?"
"Yes, what is this nonsense you are uttering? Farid is my son. I surround him with the best guards. Were it not for the fear of violating the law, they would have put an end to your soldiers."
"Fine."
Everyone shook hands with their secret foot-shake and departed.
On their way to their carriages outside the facility, Neuhaus spoke with disgust.
"We must expel that accursed man from our meetings."
"Yes, let's file a report to the masters of that wretch to have him dismissed."
"No respect for the sacred, no manners. What a hateful son of a bitch. If it weren't for my desire not to spoil the atmosphere and Sir Neuhaus changing the subject, I would have flipped the table onto his miserable, pale face."
"Even their interrogators are unprofessional. I, too, was going to file a lawsuit against them."
"The problem with a lawsuit is that another reprobate will come in their place. We must prevent their alliance from interfering in what doesn't concern them. We will sign a petition and submit it to the Supreme Court, unanimously objecting to the existence of any branches of these heretics."
"Our hands are not tied. The armies under my command are more than enough in terms of number and equipment to take their place. We are the ones who employ these unemployed people, and in the end, they put on airs with us."
Farid's servants were gathered outside near the carriages, talking among themselves, as were the servants of the other lords.
"Who are those servants?"
Farid spoke:
"They are servants at my palace. I think they were also taken for questioning."
"What scoundrels."
"We will help you transport them, Sir Ninth."