BXBX NOVEL Chapter 645 The World Animosity-Final
Astral Corp\'s branches, shops, and employees worldwide bore the brunt of the backlash. The company\'s profit margins hit an all-time low. Even in the United States—considered an ally of New Atlantis—there were those who joined the trend, virtue signaling their disdain for Astral Corp.
Some took it further, attempting to infiltrate military bases to damage power armor purchased from Astral Corp. These individuals were promptly arrested for trespassing into restricted areas. In certain states, the situation escalated further, some members of the National Guard, in a misguided show of defiance, destroyed power armor themselves. Naturally, these guardsmen faced severe consequences, with their salaries docked to cover the damages they caused.
As the saying goes, "Play stupid games, win stupid prizes." Yet, despite the result, this anti-Astral Corp sentiment gained traction among civilians. It became a fashion statement, anyone not actively hating Astral Corp was branded as no better than a Neo-Nazi.
Civilians, celebrities, and people from all walks of life and professions voiced their support for going to war against New Atlantis. "Let it be World War III," they proclaimed. "We don\'t need to fear a small island nation built on an artificial platform," they said. Some self-proclaimed military experts even emerged, claiming to have cracked Astral Corp\'s technology.
In countries where the Order of Ember\'s influence was weaker, the unrest escalated to its peak. Crowds gathered to burn and destroy New Atlantis embassies. Tragically, in one such incident, a New Atlantis ambassador was killed—an act that crossed the line for Daniel Emberweave.
The only exception to this global trend was the Sultanate of Aqaba. There, opposition to the Sultan had already been crushed, and Daniel had forcibly expelled the energy giants and oil conglomerates that once held significant influence.
Thanks to the country\'s small size, absolute monarchy, and the Sultan\'s firm control, the situation remained stable. Moreover, New Atlantis had played a crucial role in ending decades-long civil war in the region, further solidifying its favorable standing. As a result, the Sultanate of Aqaba became the only place on Earth unaffected by the widespread unrest.
That night, Daniel had reached his limit. He ordered Prime to hack into every global television network, overriding all channels to broadcast his live press conference.
Amidst the laughter and celebrations of energy conglomerates and others who believed their interests had been secured, Daniel\'s live broadcast abruptly silenced their festivities. Explore stories at empire
On-screen, Daniel appeared dressed in a black suit with a black tie and a white shirt. His expression was solemn, underscoring the gravity of the moment and conveying that he was in mourning for the life lost—that of the unlucky ambassador.
For several minutes, Daniel remained silent. Those who had been swept up in the anti-New Atlantis trend scrambled to change the channel, only to find that every channel in their respective countries displayed the same live feed.
The only way to escape it was to pull the plug, but doing so meant missing out on what was undoubtedly the world\'s most talked-about event. And they won\'t have any material to brag to their friend of how they bravely act to defy the corporate tyrant.
"Greetings. I am Daniel Emberweave, the founder of Astral Corporation and New Atlantis. I stand here before you not to apologize, nor to cater to your childish tantrums or the violence you have directed at us. Because we. Have. Done. Nothing. Wrong." Daniel\'s calm and solemn tone emphasized each word as he deliberately stated, "We\'ve done nothing wrong."
"I am here today to present the truth of the matter. And again, this is not an apology, nor an attempt to excuse my actions. What I will show and tell you today is the truth of a world that has been hidden from you." The screen shifted, transitioning to a new scene.
It displayed the moment the Hightower was exposed—the blue pillar of light piercing the sky. Following that, there was footage of news coverage speculating about the Hightower area, questioning its purpose and why it had been disguised as private property for the wealthy elite. However, most people had no recollection of these events due to a global-scale memory-wiping spell designed to conceal the existence of magic and the supernatural world.
The screen transitioned back to the press conference room. "What you just saw was a scene from seven months ago. It happened in London, in a luxury neighborhood filled with mansions belonging to British noble families and billionaires. What you saw is only a facade created by illusion magic. Beyond its threshold lies its true form."
"However, I doubt anyone could verify this firsthand. The area is guarded 24/7 by armed personnel with live ammunition. It is no different from a restricted military zone."
"As for why I\'m presenting this to you, especially when most of you likely don\'t remember these events, it is because of The Hightower, an organization that governs the Curtained World, which encompasses magic and the supernatural. Has enforced strict rules to prevent this knowledge from being exposed and uses magical means to wipe this part of memories from your brain on a global scale. But today, I am revealing it to you because it is directly tied to the truth I am here to share."
"For more details about the Curtained World and The Hightower, please use the link provided in the description below if you are watching online. For those watching on television, you will find the link sent to your phone\'s regular message inbox."
At that moment, billions of phones around the world received a notification containing a link. The webpage detailed information about The Hightower and the Curtained World.
Daniel paused briefly, allowing time for people to access the link, then continued.
"Returning to the topic: the global uproar, the trends, and the demonization you have all directed at us. I will tell you only the facts. There are three facts, I need to clarify. First… The village." Daniel paused, and the screen shifted to new footage, showing a village that had been bombed—an act falsely attributed to Astral Corp.
"The village shown in the news was not bombed by me, my people, or any of our products. Does this village exist? Yes, it does, and the loss of life there was real. However, the \'true\' cause of this tragedy is up to the investigator or the police and other authorities to answer. If they \'truly\' wanted to uncover the truth." Daniel emphasized the word "truly" before continuing.
"Because it is not my job, nor my place, to speculate on the matter. Doing so would sound like an excuse, which I will not provide. This… is the first fact."
"The second fact concerns what I actually did. I used my orbital cannon to fire a warning shot near the Duchess of Somerset\'s castle against the forces of the Hightower and their accomplices who attempted to abduct my wife." At this moment, an image of Envy, or known as Isabella Kingsley by the masses appeared on the screen. She lay in a medical facility, pale and unconscious, her magical abilities disabled by poison.
"This is my wife, Isabella Kingsley, the Duchess of Somerset. She is in this condition because she was poisoned by the perpetrators, rendering her incapable of using magic. She had gone to her old castle on personal business after finishing a meeting with Hightower leadership about matters related to the Curtained World."
"While there, she was ambushed and poisoned. I fired the orbital cannon as a warning shot to prevent her abduction and sent in my special forces to extract her." Daniel paused, giving his audience a moment to process this information."
"The third fact involves the rules established by the Hightower. According to their laws, any property marked as belonging to supernatural beings or associated with the supernatural, and the area within a 200-meter radius of such property—is considered under the sovereignty of the Curtained World."
"This means that within these bounds, the national government of the country in which such property is located has no authority, and its laws do not apply."
"In light of this, what I did was not a provocation against the British government or its sovereignty. And that… is the third fact." Daniel paused again, allowing the audience time to absorb his words.
At that moment, it was as though a bomb had gone off in the minds of viewers worldwide. They began questioning the legitimacy of this revelation. Was it a joke? But the scale of the broadcast, hacking into every public and private channel globally, was not something that could be dismissed as a mere prank!