Chapter 14

-[Ironwood]-

In a private building and room in Atlas, the council members were seated round a table, discussing a matter that had been brought to their attention.

"You can't seriously be considering this!" He protested.

Camilla, the dark skinned councilwoman opposite him, shook her head. "The idea has its merit, James. Why can't you see that?"

"Because it is a pointless endeavor. Those resources should be utilized to better improve and secure this kingdom." Ironwood argued.

"Mantle is also part of this kingdom, something you seem to forget." Sleet, the bespectacled elderly councilman, said.

"Trust me, I am very aware. But you must see that this is a waste of resources. A waste of dust that should be provided to our huntsmen and our Kingdom, not being used to further the whimsical goals of a teenager." Ironwood further argued.

On the table in front of them was the paperwork sent in by Wynne Schnee. It was a request to further expand the borders of Mantle to give more space to expand the city itself.

In theory, it would reduce the problem of overpopulation, homelessness and unemployment in Mantle if paired with the construction plans that Wynne was currently working on…if it worked.

"You are forgetting the fact that those resources and dust are owned by the Schnee Dust Company, which is owned by Wynne, not Atlas itself. Technically, he's free to do whatever he wants with them." Camilla said in an exasperated manner. "We cannot simply force him to hand them over."

"Yes we can." Ironwood persisted. "We are the Atlas council, we can o-"

"That's enough James. In case you're not aware, Mantle doesn't exactly have a favorable opinion of you at the moment. Taking away someone who is attempting to better the city will only make them more resentful. If word gets out that Atlas acts in such a manner, the results would be disastrous." Camilla countered.

"It's not like he's asking us to pull staff and resources to handle the expansion. He's only requesting permission to do it, meaning that he already has the means to do so without having us temporarily lose a percentage of our workforce." Sleet said, causing Ironwood's frown to deepen.

"That brings us to another matter." Pulling out his scroll, he displayed a projection of one the construction robots that were currently being used down in Mantle. "These robots that he supplied to Mantle are more advanced than the model the Atlas military currently has at its disposal. They should be brought in to be studied to further aid our science division."

Camilla sighed. "While that would be ideal, it's like I said earlier. They belong to the Schnee Dust Company and therefore, you'll have to come to an agreement with him if you want to achieve that."

Ironwood hid his growing frustration but it was clear that he wasn't happy. Why couldn't they see the danger that this boy represented? He'd already gained a decent, if not large, amount of following in Mantle.

If that continued, he'd have similar if not higher power in the city than the council themselves.

"If I recall correctly, the boy designed and made the machines himself. Something our scientists are having difficulty replicating. It seems to me that your issues are more with Wynne Schnee than the possible results/rewards of his actions." Sleet pointed out, making him grit his teeth in anger at being called out.

Why couldn't they understand?

-[Wynne]-

Walking through the streets, he smirked to himself as no one recognized him. He had worn a black wig, as well as a pair of glasses to hide his blue eyes.

He was testing the limits of his teleportation glyph. So far, he had determined that he needed to know the location of where he wanted to go as well as the general direction of the place.

He had just made a successful attempt at teleportation between kingdoms. Staring at the 'From Dust Till Dawn' sign on a dust shop, he chuckled in nostalgia of where the plot of the series started.

Making a mental note to buy the place later, he continued walking, taking in the sights and possible prospects.

Cinder and Roman Torchwick had already joined forces, rather, she had coerced him into working for her.

They would soon begin their dust robberies so he wanted to put a few holes in their attempts. Buying a few dust shops and stationing the security drones he was currently working on would be a perfect way to do that.

Walking into a fairly deserted alley, a Glyph appeared at his feet, rising to engulf him, teleporting him away.

He appeared in front of the large institution known as Beacon Academy, leisurely walking into the school grounds.

'It looks more grand in person.' He thought, honestly impressed.

Following the signs as well as the directions from a few roaming students, he quickly found his way to the headmaster's office.

He waited patiently as the elevator stopped, pulling off the wig and glasses before tossing them into a Glyph that appeared in front of his hand.

Storage glyphs, it was the next one he had figured out after teleportation. The concepts were somewhat the same so it wasn't as hard as he expected it to be.

The elevator door opened to reveal Ozpin's office with the man himself sitting at the desk.

As he walked in, cleared his throat lightly. "Greetings Headmaster. I apologize for the impromptu visit."

To the man's credit, he didn't look too surprised. With the amount of cameras he knew were present on school grounds, there was no doubt that he was aware that he was making his way to the office.

The only confusing thing might have been the removal of the wig and glasses.

"Mr Schnee, you're a long way from Atlas. To what do I owe the honor of this visit?" Ozpin asked, recovering quickly.

"It's nothing too serious. I just want to visit my sister but I believe it's courtesy to inform you rather than to simply have her disappear from classes." Wynne said casually.

"The gesture is much appreciated. I can have her called up here." Ozpin said, causing Wynne to shake his head.

"No need. I want it to be a surprise so I'll go myself." Wynne said, denying his offer.

"I see."

He could practically feel the man's caution from the moment he entered the office. Whether Ironwood had spoken to Ozpin about him barely bothered him.

It didn't take him long to get the directions to the desired room. Making his way there took even less time. He didn't want to stand around the immortal man for longer than needed to.

Though he knew he would be dragged into this war against Salem, unlike Ozpin, he had a few ideas to neutralize Salem.

Finding himself in front of Team RWBY's room, he knocked on the door. According to what Weiss had told him during some of their earlier conversations, this was a free period for her.

Soon, he heard the lock turn from the other side as the door opened, a familiar face appearing with a shocked gasp coming immediately afterwards.

"Wynne?!" Weiss questioned in shock.

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