Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !-Chapter 204: Meeting with the President

"Maxime Valdreuve, will you be one of those young geniuses who will shape the world and restore humanity to its former glory?"

...

Back on the Predator 2000.

"And so I was saying..."

But just as the mayor wanted to finish his sentence, one of the two guards approached him.

"Mr. Mayor, we’re about to land."

The mayor instantly looked serious and turned to Maxime.

"Very well."

"Maxime, prepare yourself mentally and try to make the best possible impression on the person you are about to meet."

Maxime, who had been listening to the mayor’s words with interest until then, was suddenly taken aback.

No matter who he was going to meet, he wouldn’t change his personality because of the advice given by the mayor.

It was more the travel time that surprised him.

"But it’s not even 30 minutes, is it?"

Aleksei Dorne nodded.

"25 minutes to be exact, but with our speed, all the places in the Western Federation can be reached in essentially an hour. So it’s not surprising."

With that, Maxime did some quick mental calculations.

"That corresponds pretty well to the distance between Nansoy and Sirap..."

"So we would be at the capital?"

If that were the case, Maxime would indeed be excited. It would be the first time he visited the famous capital of the Western Federation.

The aircraft descended with impressive fluidity, stabilizing just above a huge building whose architecture combined futuristic elegance and military robustness.

Huge tinted windows reflected the city lights, while surveillance towers equipped with automatic cannons framed the scene.

The aircraft landed gently on a private landing pad on the roof of the building. Immediately, several guards in black and gold uniforms approached in tight formation.

The side door of the plane opened with a slight hiss.

Inside, the mayor stood up and adjusted his coat.

"Come on, follow me."

Maxime obeyed without asking any questions, although in truth he was still curious about the person he was going to meet.

He still didn’t know where he was or who he was going to meet. But one thing was certain: it wasn’t just anyone.

As soon as he set foot on the platform, a light breeze blew in his face. The guards present immediately stood at attention when they saw the mayor, before casting a few puzzled glances at Maxime.

"This way."

The mayor walked confidently towards a glass-walled elevator. Maxime followed him, staying on his guard. Once inside, the cabin descended rapidly, offering them a panoramic view of the interior of the building.

The place was gigantic. Countless offices lined several floors, connected by suspended walkways. Holographic screens projected a continuous flow of information, while men and women in suits came and went with a busy air.

Maxime frowned.

"What is this place ...?"

The mayor gave him an amused look.

"You still haven’t guessed?"

Maxime shook his head.

The mayor smiled before replying in a calm tone, but one that resonated with immense weight.

"You are at the Federal Palace."

Maxime felt his heart skip a beat.

The Federal Palace...

The seat of government of the Western Federation.

Maxime felt a shiver run down his spine. He wasn’t just in an important place, he was at the heart of the Federation’s power.

It was literally the most secure place in the Western Federation.

The most powerful men in terms of both political power and personal strength were here.

He also became increasingly curious about the person he was going to meet.

Moreover, this confirmed his initial assumption:

He was indeed in Sirap, the capital of the Western Federation.

Maxime continued to follow the mayor of Nansoy in an elevator.

The latter went down to the 15th floor.

Maxime observed that there were 30 floors in total.

The 15th floor was therefore the floor that was located exactly in the center of the palace of the Western Federation.

Maxime’s thoughts wandered more and more.

Although he thought he was indifferent to the person he was going to meet, once he arrived at the most famous place in the Federation, even he was intimidated.

After all, he was still only a high school student two months before, and although his mentality had evolved enormously during all the trials he had gone through, he still had a way to go.

At the same time, Maxime did his best to keep his mind from becoming too distracted.

Soon, the elevator doors opened and two guards posted on either side bowed slightly when they saw the mayor.

The mayor bowed to them as well.

Maxime could not even estimate the strength of these two guards.

There were three possibilities.

The first possibility was that these two guards had extremely developed combat experience and could therefore naturally hold their breath.

The second possibility meant that they were much stronger than him.

The third possibility was that they had learned a technique to hide their breath. But to learn this kind of technique, one had to be strong, have excellent combat experience and a good understanding.

And in any case, judging by the mayor’s respectful expression, these guards were necessarily stronger than him, and by a fair margin.

They immediately followed suit, forming a discreet but effective escort behind Maxime and the mayor.

The corridor they entered was wide and silent, decorated with symbols representing the history and strength of the Federation. Huge flags hung on the walls, while portraits of former leaders were displayed one after the other.

Maxime also noticed advanced security measures: drones suspended from the ceiling ready to fire, high-tech scanners built into the walls, and heavily equipped soldiers at every intersection.

Everything here exuded power and order.

If there was a threat, the scanners could estimate its physical characteristics and equipment, the drones could test the combat power and the soldiers, after obtaining information on the threat, could neutralize it properly.

Finally, they arrived at a massive steel door, adorned with the official coat of arms of the Western Federation: a phoenix spreading its majestic wings with a scale, symbol of justice, even larger than the phoenix in the background.

A guard inserted an access card, while a retinal scanner confirmed his identity.

"Multi-factor authentication method." Maxime thought immediately.

With that, even if a hacker came here and managed to find flaws in the security system, he would also have to find flaws in the second security system.

It wasn’t absolute security, but it came dangerously close.

The door opened slowly, revealing a spacious room bathed in soft light.

In the center, a huge glass and steel desk stood before a large bay window overlooking the city.

And sitting behind the desk was an old man, sitting quietly.

He was obviously discussing something with a young businesswoman of importance before their arrival.

Maxime recognized him instantly.

Nathaniel Voskar, President of the Western Federation.

The most powerful leader in this part of the world.

Although he was an old man, he had none of the decadent aura that an old man might have.

On the contrary, his eyes seemed filled with wisdom, as if he had already seen through the truth of this world.

Maxime immediately felt a weight fall on him.

Of all the powerful people in the federal palace, he had come across the one who stood at the top.

The old man looked up at him, and a heavy silence fell.

"Maxime Valdreuve, welcome. Please sit down. We have much to discuss."

Maxime obeyed without a word, sitting down in one of the armchairs in front of the President’s imposing desk. His gaze remained fixed on Nathaniel Voskar, trying to analyze the man behind the legend.

"Aleksei, Anna, you guys can leave us."

They all bowed without saying a word, then left the office. Anna took care to close the door behind her.

The old man folded his hands on his desk, observing him with a slight smile.

"Do you know why you are here, Maxime?" he asked calmly.

Maxime thought for a second before shaking his head.

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"No, Mr. President," he replied honestly.

Voskar nodded slightly, as if he had expected this answer.

"You are here because you have attracted the attention of the highest echelons of our Federation."

He paused, then continued:

"What you achieved during the invasion of the Pyrans and, more recently, your performance on the dimensional battlefield against the Dravaks... these are facts that we cannot ignore."

Maxime remained silent, attentive.

The President rose slowly, heading for the bay window. He contemplated the illuminated city for a moment before speaking again:

"Humanity is in decline, young man. Our era of supremacy is over. The other races in this universe surpass us in power, in technology, and even in organization. We have survived this long thanks to our ingenuity and our humility... but soon it will no longer be enough."

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He turned, his piercing eyes fixed on Maxime’s.

"That’s why we need young people like you. Individuals capable of defying the odds, of pushing the boundaries."

Maxime felt his heart beat faster.

"You want me to join the army?"

Voskar shook his head.

"Not exactly. We already have enough soldiers. What we need are real leaders."

The president let slip some important information, but seeing the lack of confusion and surprise on Maxime’s face, Maxime smiled.

"You already have level 2 authorization, don’t you?"

Maxime didn’t think that such information deserved to be hidden from the president.

He himself, as president, had to have a higher level of authorization, and above all he detected no malice on his part, so he nodded.

"Well, then you should know that what we really need are figures capable of leading humanity into a new age of prosperity... or at least, of ensuring our survival."

Silence fell over the room.

Maxime was beginning to understand the importance of this meeting. It wasn’t just an invitation to serve the Federation; the president had a very specific purpose in inviting him here.

The president sat back in his chair and leaned slightly towards Maxime, leaning on the table, then said:

"Maxime, listen carefully to what I’m about to say."