"But… what about now? You mentioned that Skaryn and Halmut failed you, yet you still talk so highly of Skaryn. Didn't you remove Halmut and Skaryn from the family?" asked Jack.
Duorda added a question as well, "And how did they fail you so quickly?"
Sighing, Daruun replied, "For one critical reason… that neither they nor I saw coming… Jewel found a way to involve themselves."
"Jewel?!" Duorda almost fell out of his seat.
"Yes, Jewel has managed to enter the district legally. However, their level of influence is still minor at best," stated Daruun, looking to Jack. "The Jewel Enterprise, more commonly known as Jewel throughout the void, is regarded as the most powerful enterprise throughout the void. It's hard to gauge their true strength, though, as they're notorious for keeping their true strength under wraps.
"Jewel is both feared and respected. It originates from the Core and spreads gradually but unstoppably. On the surface, they're an enterprise that offers protection and security for any and all who gather under their name. But they also take the time to silently fill all partnered governments with their own agents. Jewel doesn't take full control of district or government, at least it hasn't thus far, but Jewel will gain enough influence to typically swing all upcoming political decisions in their favor."
Keeping up, Jack summed it up, "So they don't directly control any districts or governments but they turn them into mouthpieces and use the already existing governments as coverups for their growing influence?"
"Correct, that's precisely what they specialize in. Of course, that's not what they tell the public," agreed Daruun. "This time, Jewel entered the Fate District in a roundabout way, mainly because I turn them down without ever agreeing to meet with them. And now, thanks to Silas, they don't throw their weight around quite as much. They chose a more silent approach.
"They created an incorporate within the Fate District, an organization that has influence throughout at least a dozen precincts or at most across an entire district. It's basically a self-contained enterprise on a much, much smaller scale. Only this time Jewel has again created an incorporate without publicly linking it to themselves as a parent organization," stated Daruun. "The founding of the Gem Incorporate began without my interference but they've been secretly receiving private funding that matching a small, upstart enterprise. But I allowed it to grow and can't directly squash it out without facing public repercussions.
"And you want me to deal with it?" asked Jack, blinking and wide-eyed.
Daruun nodded. "I want both you and your father to handle them. They know too well how to manipulate the system and managed to gain a decent foothold within the district. Also, it was the Gem Incorporate that snuck contacts into Kartonia and reached out to both Halmut and Skaryn."
"Jewel got involved in Kartonia… That's definitely unexpected…" Duorda itched his bare skull. "How strong has Jewel become as of now?"
"Hmmm… While you've been away, Jewel has grown steadily. On paper, Jewel is now officially partnered with six districts, including District 05 where it originates. According to Silas's numbers, Jewel is currently infiltrating three other districts, not including the Fate District due to their influence here not yet reaching the zone level and not bearing the 'Jewel' name," answered Daruun.
"Does that mean this Gem Incorporate can get snuffed out without facing repercussions from Jewel?" asked Jack.
"So long as it's handled correctly, then yes," Daruun replied. "It's too small for me to squash directly, otherwise, Jewel may intervene on behalf of the 'abused' party and push an intergalactic case to the District Council."
Jack then continued Daruun's train of thought, "But if we handle it, then that won't count as you using your weight unfairly and Gem Inc. isn't large enough to cause the district problems if they're taking out under the right guidelines, right?"
"Correct." Daruun sighed and nodded. "My original plans included having you rise in power through the various tiers of government. That way, you'd gain your own training resources and influence naturally without my intervening. That plan hasn't changed much but the appearance of Gem Inc. has given you an opening to shoot straight into governing a zone, should you successfully eliminate them."
"And by eliminating them, you'll be able to spread your names further by word of mouth. That will greatly increase the speed of your climb through the ranks and gain the respect of the many rulers within the district."
Daruun then returned to the topic at hand, "Now, back to how Jewel got involved in Kartonia.
"Without my notice, Jewel snuck a contact person into Kartonia after doing some digging and learning that I was the planet's creator. This led to both Halmut and Skaryn receiving offers to join Gem Inc., as well as to them both learning a one-sided perspective of the universe outside of Kartonia.
"Skaryn was skeptical until the disguised contact offered them a few things that Kartonia can never offer them," continued Daruun. "This is how the current contract system of the Kartonian gods came into existence, as it was Jewel that introduced the concept and taught them how it worked. The worst thing was Jewel's 'gift' of courtesy. They gave both Halmut and Skaryn something termed 'faux-ore', but Jewel has termed it their 'cosmic stimulant'."
"Faux-ore? Why the two names, and why faux-ore?" asked Jack.
Frowning, Daruun answered, "According to the Council, it was officially recorded as faux-ore due to it being a manufactured catalyst to aid cosmicians in training. It works miracles but at a cost. It drastically increases your strength but only by limiting your potential more with every use. For example, with enough faux-ore, a cosmician can possibly become a three-star or even a four-star if they're lucky, but no higher. Also, intergalactic studies are beginning to show that cosmicians reliant entirely on faux-ore experience more health problems despite a cosmician's naturally powerful vitality. A few rare cases even show that faux-ore can become toxic after overuse."
Catching on, Jack asked, "And… Both Halmut and Skaryn have used the stuff?"
Still frowning, Daruun nodded lightly.