No Suitable Candidate

Harvey and Sonia chatted as they ate.

When Harvey asked what the various Void Cult members were currently doing,

Sonia naturally focused on the more useful information.

"Mr. Dam, Mr. Barnett, Mr. Primo, and Mr. Philip all successfully passed the Nova Corps assessments and joined the Nova Corps."

"They were now One-Star Officers. Although their lives were still rather poor, they had finally made it through the hard times, and their future would only get better."

"With them occasionally helping out, some matters had become much easier for me to handle."

Most Void Cult members, after gaining greater strength, first thought about how to use that strength to earn more money.

For capable people, making quick money in this universe was simply too easy.

However, after joining the Void Cult, Dam, Barnett, Primo, and Philip had not quit their jobs.

To earn extra money, they worked daily-wage jobs, making only five hundred thousand a year.

It seemed like quite a lot, roughly comparable to the salary Mr. Kassadin had initially offered her.

But in reality, she could freely mobilize all of Void Island’s liquid funds, so the two could not be compared.

Most Void Cult members could earn at least one hundred thousand from a single bounty mission, even without aiming high.

Not to mention that Void Cult members were not limited to the ability to take on only first-level bounty missions. Spending a week on one mission could equal what Dam and the others earned in an entire year.

Naturally, Dam and the other three, whose annual income was only a little over five hundred thousand, lived the hardest lives among the many members.

However, the four men’s patience had finally paid off. After more than a year of waiting and multiple assessments,

they had successfully joined the Nova Corps, gained a measure of authority, and increased their annual earnings by more than tenfold.

They could earn at least five million a year. Once they earned military merits and rose to Two-Star Officers, they would earn even more. If they could become centurions,

the authority and status in a centurion’s hands could no longer be measured in money.

"So the four of them finally joined?"

The moment Harvey heard Dam’s name, those big, foolish-looking fellows immediately came to mind.

"Mr. Kassadin, was it you who told them to join the Nova Corps?"

Sonia was somewhat surprised when she heard Mr. Kassadin’s words.

"I did not instruct them to do that, but I knew of their desire to join the Nova Corps."

"Though they did not choose the easier path, only those who endure the bitterest hardships rise above others. They had finally pulled through."

Harvey shook his head slightly and smiled.

He had wanted Dam to join the Nova Corps so the Void Cult could establish itself more easily on Xandar.

However, he had not issued any instructions, nor had he even hinted at it.

Dam and the other three had wanted to join the Nova Corps entirely of their own accord.

Still, after the four received Nova Corps armor, their strength would undergo a qualitative leap.

After all, Nova Corps armor was extremely powerful. It was not inferior to Tony’s Iron Man armor in the slightest and might even surpass it.

With Nova Armor, one could wield the Nova Force, gain all kinds of additional superpowers, and even travel directly through space.

Xandar’s status as one of the universe’s most famous empires was inseparable from Nova Armor.

By patiently joining the Nova Corps, Dam and the others could experience all kinds of powers early on, which would also better aid the growth of their own strength.

"I see. Other than the four of them, most Void Cult members had now embarked on the lives they wanted."

"Drinking and making merry every day, with spaceships and beautiful women for company—wasn’t that a little too idle?"

Sonia did not dwell on it and looked at Mr. Kassadin as she asked.

"There is no such thing as being idle or not. The Void Cult has few rules, so they are free to live as they please."

"I would rather they maintain that mindset and attitude forever. If they could not, that would be when serious problems arose."

A glint flashed through Harvey’s eyes at Sonia’s question as he spoke.

"Indeed. If they were dissatisfied with their current circumstances, more problems would arise."

"So I wanted to use these next few years to develop every part of Void Island."

"Once they grew tired of playing after a few more years, we could arrange easy and stable jobs for them."

"Then you could grant them titles and positions."

"That would not only strengthen their sense of belonging and personal identification with the Void Cult, but also make it easier for me to track where they were and gather intelligence on what they were doing."

Sonia voiced her own thoughts.

Considering that her own strength was increasing day by day, even if the other Void Cult members were not as diligent as she was, their strength would still steadily improve.

As their strength increased, their ambitions would also swell.

If Mr. Kassadin remained on Void Island, he could indeed keep them in check.

But Mr. Kassadin was not always on Void Island, so they needed another way to settle their hearts and monitor their usual conduct.

That would prevent them from causing trouble elsewhere and bringing catastrophe upon the Void Cult before news could reach them.

"What you said must be done, but for now, there is no need to take such an overt approach."

"Use a gentler method. When they planned to travel far away, simply have them report it casually. Even a perfunctory report would do."

"First, plant a seed in their minds."

Harvey fell into thought after hearing Sonia’s words, then spoke.

"Understood."

"There were now five hundred and nine Void Cult members. I will handle gathering their reports."

After giving it some thought, Sonia felt that this was indeed feasible and nodded.

"You can start doing it first. If you find it too much to handle, find someone trustworthy and train them."

"Afterward, have that person specifically handle the reports. It would be best if she were a beautiful, socially adept woman."

"At present, most Void Cult members were men. Even without many rules, the few women among them would still naturally receive some courtesy."

After eating and drinking his fill, Harvey stood and walked onto the balcony, looking down over all of Void Island as he spoke slowly.

"Besides me, there are two other women on the island. One is Miss Lacey, and the other is Miss Claudia."

"Both of them meet the standard of beauty you mentioned. As for their personalities, Miss Claudia is rather forceful."

"It seems that only Miss Lacey fits the standard you mentioned of being socially adept."

"Moreover, she knows everyone on the island, so she should be better suited for this work."

"However, Miss Lacey often acted together with Mr. Renoli and the other two."

"Making Miss Lacey stay obediently on Void Island did not seem like an easy matter."

Sonia stood as well, brought Mr. Kassadin a drink, and after handing it to him, explained what she had considered.

"Then look elsewhere."

Harvey had naturally considered that as well and answered without concern.

Day 23 of updating ten thousand words daily. The first update is here. Please subscribe.