" What are your plans for the foreseeable future? Also, if you have it all mapped out, why do you need someone like me? What do I bring to the table that you don't already have? " Luke asked Cervantez once he explained his grand scheme to him, as Luke felt curious as to why he was the one Cervantez chose to become the vice guildmaster.

" I won't enroll in a university…. I have too many responsibilities to commit to the strict regimen.

Part of why I'm gathering MP and gold to pay you guys a stipend to improve your skills in year one is because I know that in year two, we need to band together and leverage our skills to seize assets.

I have it all mapped out, but I'm not great with people and that's where you come in…..

I've experienced it before and I think my people skills are weak, which is why I need someone charismatic like you to explain my plans to the others and become the face of our guild.

But for all that to happen, you need some authority yourself, so I stress again, don't slack off in training.

Naturally. I won't either as although I won't be in a university, you can trust me on the fact that every second that I won't be working for the guild, I shall be honing my skills to become stronger as well " Cervantez said as Luke nodded and promised to work as hard as possible.

" Forming the guild is a task and a half in itself. You need fame, you need money, you need permissions from the empire that are not easy to get.

But leave all that and recruitment of talents to me, I'll complete everything.

Our paths shall merge only when the time for the great tournament draws near and shall become intertwined after that" Cervantez said as he slapped Luke on the back and started to walk out of the room.

" Come dine with me and relax a little. I'm sure your life within the game is stressful enough already and doesn't need you to take more stress outside as well.

Also, stop worrying about why I chose you, and just focus on doing your best.

I will treat everyone other than you as pawns, but I won't ever do wrong by you. That I promise" Cervantez said as there was something about the tone of his voice that made Luke trust him although he was spouting controversial stuff like treating everyone else like pawns.

Much to Luke's joy, Cervantez treated him to fresh, flavourful crunchy food and beer as the two sat down and talked about random things within Terra Nova and about dumb people on the global server.

Just like normal friends on Earth would do, they talked about nothing in particular and discussed controversial stuff like the uprising and what it intended to do.

Cervantez had some pretty interesting theories on the purpose behind the uprising, however, he was not too worried about it as a group as he had already seen it fail in his past life.

His sole point of obsession remained 'TheBoss', whom he simply could not let out of his mind, as it was an obsession that Luke was made well aware of, after spending a full afternoon with him.

Despite all the shocks, Luke ended up having quite a nice time with Cervantez as by the time his shift ended, he seemed to be feeling much more in control about his future, which gave him an odd sense of stability.

He preferred to be informed and scared rather than being clueless and happy as at least this way he could prepare for the storm that was coming.

Although he could not directly convey all this to Leo, Luke was resolved to definitely try and give Leo the best advice that he could and shape his future path as best as he could without breaching the operator oath.

**********

( Back in Sector D, the new Skyshard residence )

By the time Luke came back, he found Amanda and Leo laughing out loud in the living room, as Leo seemed to be mimicking president Verma at the luncheon today.

Quickly invited to the mix, Leo proceeded to act like the president once again to bring Luke upto speed, as despite all the heavy things weighing down his mind, when he saw Leo act like the disappointed president, Luke could not help but laugh out loud.

Internally, he wished to rush into Terra Nova and play the game for as long as possible, however, he held it in as he enjoyed some family time with Leo.

"Mr lobo, I can't thank you enough for coming to this luncheon parryyy….

*Muah*

*Muah*

Some S class businessmen have become so rude as to ignore my invitation as if I don't matter anymore, but I'm glad at least you're in your senses.

Haha-

Yes, yes, Mr lobooo, if I talk to the operator of course you shall be the first one that I inform" Leo said in the president's accent as he acted like her for fun, eliciting rolling laughter from both Luke and Amanda.

" Oof… this dirty small apartment is so downclass.

The Whitehouse was much better, ya…," Leo said while gesturing with his palm and raising his eyebrows to make the same facial expression as the president, as Luke and Amanda laughed so hard that their stomachs started to hurt from the laughter.

" Stop…. Please stop, I can't take it anymore" Amanda pleaded as a small tear formed in her eye, as it was only today that Leo and Luke found out that their roommate also shared a distaste for their president.

" I'm telling you brother, today was the best day at work! The best…. I'm so happy we are in sector D" Leo said enthusiastically as Luke could not help but smile sadly.

Now that he knew the real stakes at hand, he felt like the sectors did not even matter that much in the grand scheme of things, but he did not have the heart to bring down Leo's joy or be the mood damper as he followed along and said " I had a great day myself, I drank beer, ate great food, spent time with a billionaire"

Luke flexed as Leo and Amanda became instantly jealous.

The trio proceeded to trade their stories of their workday for a while, before calling it a night and returning to their own rooms.

As Luke now put on his gaming helmet, he felt the true weight of the technology that he was using, as the right questions began to pop up in his mind, the kind that he was ignoring before.

'If the aliens were advanced enough to build the full dive technology….

If they were advanced enough to build the arc ship that could travel through millions of miles in space in months.

Could their society really be as medieval as the game depicted?'

It was a question worth pondering about, as Luke only realized it's weight after his conversation with Cervantez today.

—-------

/// A/N - Bonus chapter for hitting the GT Target last month!

Good job everyone and thank-you for all your support ///