The Chief Citizen was distracted by Kaijin and Kuueru was working on the war bot order with one of his assistants. So, Lute decided to take a moment to snoop around. He pretended as though he were enamored with all the tech, walking wide-eyed around the office for a moment, studying at the various holographic displays blooming out of their wall sockets. There were curious bits of data streaming off, much of it related to stock prices and galactic trade information. He saw a lot of red lines plummeting.
The markets were starting to react to what was going on with Abbayor. That made sense. It was unfortunate, but when most of the galaxy's strongest and most influential leaders died in an instant--it put a dent in trade agreements and in security. People would be trading conservatively. Lute had a huge robust stock portfolio. He hadn't built it himself. In fact, he used his apprentice Marte for most of that. Despite that, he knew enough not to make a fool out of himself, especially after becoming a galactic leader.
Since the capturing of Hollow, Marte had been rather busy running around the galaxy securing Lute all sorts assets to help bolster his colony. The boy was tireless and efficient. But, that was a good thing. Lute would would rather him be tied up in business than making a fool out of himself or causing trouble. A kid with his sort of skills was more than capable of either of those things.
He produced his own comm device from his pocket and fired of a quick message.
Marte. Buy up as much stock as you can. The market is nose-diving hard.Lute knew things would go back up. In fact, he was banking on his plan being a success and leading to it. With Absolut on the throne, a strong alliance with the Saiyan Kingdom and the Kabochan Confederacy possible--trade would prosper. There was no reason he shouldn't benefit from that.
Moving past the displays, he found himself behind the Chief Citizen's desk. The surface was low, stopping just above his knee. Still, he managed to sneak a peek at the Chief Citizen's correspondences. He used his newly mastered telekinetic power to scroll through the interface, glancing over the various threads, conversations, and interactions. It was all very boring, most of it regarding design schematics and business proposals. There were also a thick collection of messages regarding the reconstruction of the destroyed Bio Dome.
Satisfied that there was no treacherous activity going on, Lute returned to where the trio were gathered.
"You've done the Empire a great service Chief Citizen. I am sure Emperor Absolut will thank you after he's safe and sound in our hands, seeing to his Empire's needs as he should be. I'll make sure of that."The Chief Citzen's attention was still on Doctor Vex. "Yes, I would love to speak with you more about your design when you have the free time. Perhaps a construct such of yourself, which such advanced AI, could help us resolve some of our memory cortex issues."
While Crisp was easily compelled by his technology interests, he wasn't completely ignorant to his job as a delegate. He about faced Lute and gave a firm nod.
"The Slayer R8's are yours as well. I'll make sure you have all our design documents too, to make the necessary modifications. I'll have the units transported to Hollow as soon as possible. Let's hope for the Empire's sake that your campaign goes without a hitch."
The Demon King nodded.
"I'll make sure that it does."Kuueru mentioned something about visiting the library. Lute had no reason to doubt her, no doubt there was something important she needed. If anything, Kuueru kenw the urgency of the situation. She was a demon, not an idiot.
"Meet us back on Hollow when you can. If you get the time, gather as much information as you can about Kabocha. You're much better at moving incognito with your magical disguises than I am. Plus, I have other tasks I need to see to get this moving forward."Lute motioned for Doctor Vex to follow him.
"I want you to return to Hollow with me. We have a few days before the Slayer R8's arrive and in that time I would like to see what you're capable of. Especially if we're going to be working together. I'm sure you'll learn a great deal about me as well."There was no warning for what Lute was about to do. He pulled out a tiny ruby quartz crystal and rolled it through his fingertips. After muttering a few dark and foreboding words, the wall inside of the room began to shift and bow inward. This was of course very unnatural, a spell come to life without warning. The concave then erupted with crimson light forking tongues of amethyst electricity sputtering outward in every direction. The wall itself peeled away and beyond one could see the phantom outline of the Teleporation Chamber inside of the Scorched Palace of Hollow.
Lute simply pushed through the threshold and was whisked away to that faraway place in an instant. He left the gateway open so that Kaijin could follow after.