The chairman’s assistant led Jas down a hallway with frosted glass walls and closed office doors, and they stopped at the third door on the right. She knocked once and opened it without waiting for a response.
"Director O’Shea," she said. "Jas Ganner."
Jas entered and found himself in a large but not ornate office. A wide desk sat near floor-to-ceiling windows that showed the Dublin skyline and part of the Tower in the distance. O’Shea sat behind the desk with Niamh nearby, both already waiting.
O’Shea looked up when Jas entered and gestured to the chair across from him. "Sit."
Jas sat down and waited.
O’Shea leaned back in his chair and studied Jas for a mont. "I assu this visit is about Floor 9."
"Yes," Jas said.
O’Shea’s expression didn’t change. "Do you know how to clear it?"
Jas t his eyes. "I’m not sure, but I have a theory."
"Theory." O’Shea repeated the word without inflection. "Three teams are dead and you have a theory."
"It’s more than anyone else has right now," Jas said.
O’Shea didn’t argue with that. He gestured for Jas to continue.
Jas explained what he’d seen in the footage. The three ogres attacking from different angles instead of just rushing in. The goblins moving in formations and targeting the priest first with coordinated aggression. The dark magic traces he’d noticed running through so of the monsters like thin threads.
"The goblins aren’t just stronger," Jas said. "Sothing is controlling them. Directing them. That’s why the priest died first. Whatever is commanding them knew exactly who to remove."
O’Shea listened without interrupting. When Jas finished, he said, "And you think you can counter it."
"I think the circlet can," Jas said. "The Purify effect should cleanse whatever dark magic is controlling them. If the control breaks, the goblins go back to being normal monsters."
"You think," O’Shea said. "You’re not certain."
Jas shook his head. "I can’t be certain until we try it."
O’Shea was quiet for a mont, then he said, "The circlet is strategic equipnt now, and it’s not sothing the TRB can release casually. We have licensing agreents with multiple guilds, active revenue streams, and scheduled attempts on higher floors."
"I understand," Jas said. "That’s why I ca to ask properly instead of just taking it."
O’Shea nodded once, as if Jas had passed so small test. "The TRB can allow Team Zero to use the circlet, but there’s a condition."
Jas waited for him to continue.
"We want the Floor 9 run stread," O’Shea said.
Jas went still because he hadn’t planned to stream anything.
O’Shea continued before Jas could refuse. "Floor 9 has beco a national problem. Ireland is stuck. Other countries are stuck. Everyone is watching to see who clears it first." He leaned forward slightly. "If Team Zero clears Floor 9 on stream, Ireland becos the country that solved it. First confird clear. First tactical data. First proof of concept."
He paused. "It will also increase the circlet’s value significantly. Every country and every guild will want access to the item that helped clear Floor 9. Which ans higher licensing fees."
Jas thought about it but imdiately saw the problem. "The strear rule," he said. "If a Challenger dies during an official stream, the family can be made to pay damages or governnt penalties depending on the agreent."
He t O’Shea’s eyes directly. "I won’t risk my mother being punished if I die."
O’Shea smiled slightly, and the expression wasn’t mocking but sothing closer to approval.
"You noticed the dangerous part," O’Shea said. "Good. Most people don’t think about their families until it’s too late." He leaned back in his chair. "That rule won’t apply to you or Team Zero. This will be a TRB-sponsored stream. The TRB handles everything. Stream infrastructure. Promotion. Moderation. And all liability."
Jas said, "I want that in writing."
"Of course," O’Shea said, and he pressed the intercom button on his desk. "Bring the circlet from the vault and prepare the strear papers."
Ten minutes later, the assistant returned with a secure tal box and a folder of docunts. She placed both on the table and left.
O’Shea opened the box first.
The Apostle’s Radiant Circlet sat inside, glowing faintly with divine light. The pale gold band and white stone at the center looked exactly as Jas rembered from Floor 1.
Jas looked at it for a mont, then O’Shea pushed the contract folder across the table.
"Read it carefully," O’Shea said.
Jas opened the folder and started reading.
The revenue split was 90% to the clearing party and 10% to the TRB. The TRB would handle promotion, hosting, moderation, stream setup, and all liability coverage.
Then he reached the channel na field and found it blank.
O’Shea noticed where Jas was looking. "The stream needs a channel na. What do you want it listed as?"
Jas thought for a mont. His team already had a na and they’d registered as Team Zero after clearing Floor 5.
"Team Zero," Jas said.
Niamh wrote it in the blank field.
Jas continued reading and found the protection clause.
[TRB SPONSORED RAID STREAM PARTNERSHIP AGREENT]
[EVENT: FLOOR 9 RAID ATTEMPT]
[STREAM CHANNEL: TEAM ZERO]
[REVENUE SPLIT]
[TEAM ZERO: 90%]
[TOWER RESOURCE BUREAU: 10%]
[TRB RESPONSIBILITIES]
- Stream infrastructure
- Promotion
- Moderation
- Public notification
- Governnt liability coverage
[PARTY PROTECTION CLAUSE]
- No death-on-stream penalty charged to participant families
- No governnt damages charged to participant estates
- No ergency response fees charged to participant families
- TRB absorbs all official stream failure liability
[ARTIFACT CLAUSE]
- Apostle’s Radiant Circlet loaned for Floor 9 attempt only
- Circlet remains Jas Ganner’s property
- Circlet must be returned after the Floor 9 attempt
Jas read the family protection clause twice. No death penalties. No governnt damages. No ergency fees. The TRB absorbed everything if the team died on stream.
He signed at the bottom.
O’Shea countersigned and stamped it with the TRB seal.
"Done," O’Shea said. He pushed the circlet box across the table. "The stream setup will be sent to your System within the hour."
Niamh explained the technical details while Jas secured the circlet box.
"The TRB will send you a partnership link through your System," she said. "Once you accept it, a Stream tab will appear in your interface. The stream won’t start automatically. You have to activate it manually after entering Floor 9."
She pulled up a tablet and showed him the preview. "The listing will show only Team Zero and Floor 9 Raid Attempt. No nas, faces, classes, or personal information will be shown before activation."
Jas nodded.
"When you activate the stream," Niamh continued, "the broadcast goes live imdiately. Irish Challengers will receive a notification. International viewers can access it through TRB’s public channel."
She closed the tablet. "Any questions?"
"No," Jas said.
He stood, took the circlet box, and left the office.
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