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This time, Envy was silent for a few seconds before responding. "They do have forces to protect themselves. But how many and how strong they are, I don't exactly know." She paused briefly before continuing. "The only information I have about the strength of the Hephaestus Institute is based on rumors, hearsay, and bits and pieces of evidence."

"Such as?"

"For instance, when the Hightower sent in some infiltrators and the next day, they returned to the Hightower." She paused.

"In body bags," Envy then continued.

"Or when several mage families attacked them, hoping to gain access to new research or force the Hephaestus Institute to merge with their families, only to be secretly annihilated a few weeks later. As an outsider, the deepest one can go into their organization is their guest house.

Trust me, I stayed there for a night. Everything seemed nice and sunshine, but I felt an overwhelming sense of unease, and I didn't want to stay longer than necessary," Envy explained.

Hearing this, Koyuki was confused. She argued, "Huh? That place is quite nice though. If it weren't for some urgent business, I might have stayed there for a few more days."

Taking note of this in his heart, Daniel inquired further. "And... Did the Path of Knowledge have any problems with them? I mean, those guys are all about gaining new knowledge and advancement at the lowest cost possible."

"You mean Cyrus, right?" Envy asked.

Daniel nodded in confirmation. Envy then continued.

"No, they didn't. Other than some radical splinter groups from the Path of Knowledge that got annihilated, no one bothered them. They usually keep to themselves and trade with both individual mage families and the Hightower from time to time.

Why? You seem very interested in them. Is your paranoid mind sounding alarms?" Envy teased with a smile before cutting a small piece of steak and feeding it to Daniel, who accepted it albeit with an annoyed expression at her teasing.

"What's their take on the mana rejuvenation plan of the Hightower, and the gods?" asked Daniel.

"I don't know. Remember, we just uncovered the plan of the god followers recently. We don't even know how they organize or who their leader is. The entire Hightower, or the people that are still loyal to it, wouldn't know about it, let alone the Hephaestus Institute. But I guess even if they did know, they wouldn't bother with it," said Envy.

"Aren't gods bad for business? Aren't they trying to control humans and force us to worship them? Why do you think The Hephaestus Institute would tolerate that? What if the gods want access to their crown research or something along those lines? Or is it that Hephaestus himself is the founder, which is why they don't bother?" Daniel pressed further.

"I don't think that's the case," Envy pondered before continuing. "Because the Hephaestus Institute was founded 1 year after WW1 ended.

If they were founded by Hepheastus himself, shouldn't they have been founded much earlier and become the oldest mage organization? Even older than the Hightower?" Envy asked.

"Isn't that because they didn't have any reason to until after WW1 ended?" Daniel suggested.

Envy paused, considering Daniel's perspective.

"That's right," Envy agreed. "Every organization was founded for a specific purpose. There must be something that the founder thought was important enough to create an organization for. The problem is… what is that purpose?" She then turned toward Daniel, her face full of worry and a hint of alarm.

"Danny, do you think there's anything wrong with this organization?" Envy asked.

"Hm? Isn't that just Danny being Danny? Isn't he just paranoid?" Greed teased Daniel, placing a drumstick on his plate.

Daniel shrugged off the tease. "Let me ask you this," he started. "On this table, other than Envy and Koyuki, has anyone stayed there for a night?"

Greed and Svetlana raised their hands.

"I stayed there for a few nights during a business trip in Greece. Everything was nice, felt like I was at a high-end resort," said Greed.

Svetlana chimed in. "I stayed there for a few nights several times because of business. The experience was nice, to say the least."

"Out of the four people at this table who have stayed there, three say it's nice. Only Envy said the opposite. And from what I know, Envy is not the picky type," Daniel paused. "Why does Envy have a different opinion?"

Everyone at the table fell silent as Daniel continued. "As for the question you asked me about whether I think there's anything wrong with this organization, based on what I've heard."

"Yes, there is something wrong with the Hephaestus Institute. I know Koyuki well; she usually wouldn't let me enter an organization she knows very little about. Remember the first time I regained consciousness?" Daniel turned to Koyuki.

Koyuki nodded, recalling the chaotic events that had led to Daniel needing help from the Hightower court.

Envy and Greed also remembered. Greed had agreed to be a referee for Daniel to enter the Hephaestus Institute. Not just her, but Montgomery too. In fact, everyone she knew who had stayed there also had some unexplainable positive feelings about the Hephaestus Institute.

Why was that?

Seeing his girls' worried looks, he let out a sigh. "For now, I'll have someone keep an eye on them. When I return to Sector Alpha City, I'll find a way to uncover the reasons behind this," said Daniel.

"Er… Lord Emberweave, what about our alliance and… the organization you mentioned," Anastasia asked frantically, afraid Daniel would forget their matter after discussing the Hephaestus Institute.

"I can consider the alliance, and I agree to trade if the Romanovs are looking for our products on friendlier terms and prices. But as for creating an organization? The answer is no. I'm already busy as the founder and chief inventor of Astral Tech," said Daniel.

Daniel's answer left Anastasia's face crestfallen, feeling a tinge of disappointment. Yet, she knew she couldn't expect everything at once. As long as they became allies, other options would remain open for negotiation. That was a satisfactory outcome for their first round of talks.

"Thank you for considering our alliance. I'll convey the results of our discussion to my father, and we'll send finalized documents to you to formalize our agreement," said Anastasia.

After that, Daniel enjoyed his meal with his girls and Anastasia, all the while keeping the matter of the Hephaestus Institute in mind. Once he had actualized the Whispering Hall in Sector Alpha City, he planned to instruct Albert to keep a close eye on the Hephaestus Institute.

As they savored their meal, Daniel glanced out of the window. Their VIP room, situated on the third floor of the building near Union Square, provided a panoramic view of the entire square. They could relish the night view, with neon lights illuminating the lively nightlife of San Francisco.

However, their peaceful moment was disrupted when screams erupted from Union Square, and people started running in panic. From Daniel's angle, he couldn't discern the cause of the commotion that sent everyone into a frenzy.

"What are they running from?" Daniel uttered, straining to see the cause of the commotion.

At that moment, a restaurant manager rushed into the VIP room, maintaining a calm demeanor befitting of his position at this high-end establishment.

"Lady Envy, my apologies, but there's a rogue mage currently in conflict with the police. The police are at a disadvantage, and I'm not a combat mage. Could you please assist us in resolving this? We can only suppress the news and other emergency service departments for another five minutes," the manager explained urgently.

Given that this restaurant is a subsidiary of the Golden Empire Group, it's common for non-combat mages to work for Greed, as they might not be strong enough to work for the Hightower, which values combat mages more.

"A rogue mage?" Daniel repeated, looking at Envy. He remembered the challenges he faced when awakened as a mage, labeled as a rogue by the Hightower and targeted for elimination. This history fueled his curiosity about the situation unfolding before them.

"Yes, a rogue mage," Envy confirmed as she rose from her seat and headed towards the door.

Daniel quickly followed her, eager to witness Envy's actions. As they approached the scene, Daniel observed a middle aged man in his early forties standing atop an ice pillar, looking down at the police and terrified bystanders.

The rogue mage expression exuded arrogance and excitement, a wide smile on his face. It was clear that this was his first taste of triumph against the police, as their bullets were ineffective against his natural mana shield.