The appearance of a phantom behind her didn't inconvenience Noah at all. On the contrary, this phantom neither harmed her nor was disobedient; it even occasionally acted as her hands and feet, allowing her to reach things she couldn't otherwise. It was surprisingly convenient, though Kuro might be a little unhappy, as she used to do most of the things the phantom now handled. She would occasionally stare at the phantom with a strange look, as if monitoring it.
The second person to discover this phantom was Manner, who came to work. Upon seeing the phantom behind Noah, his first reaction was to draw his sword—but he was immediately stopped by Kuro. Manner stared at the phantom for a long time, searching his memory for similar entities, but the answer was... he had never seen anything like it. However, it did prove a very awkward point: it seemed only masters of Kuro and Manner's caliber could see the phantom—
Later, Noah went to find Hintleyya, but Hintleyya completely ignored the phantom. In a way, Hintleyya's strength had not yet reached the level where she could detect the phantom...
There was almost no similarity between Kuro and Manner, except for their immense strength; there seemed to be no other possibility.
Thus, the equation "can see phantom = master" was established. However, Manner was clearly more wary of the phantom than Kuro, even suggesting that Noah try attacking it with Stone source art. Of course, Noah thought it over carefully and refused. After all, if it was ineffective, that would be fine, but if it provoked the phantom, this phantom that only masters could see might also possess the strength to deal with masters... And wasn't it being very well-behaved? It hadn't done anything bad, right?
Having a spirit following her around wasn't a burden, so Noah finished her day's work, and the phantom followed her all day long.
Kuro had also been observing this black shadow. She felt that it might possess a certain degree of humanity. When Noah wasn't moving, it would occasionally float up and down. Although its exact appearance couldn't be clearly seen, it did resemble a human figure... It even occasionally turned its neck to look around, appearing entirely like a ghost except for its silence. However, Noah had absolutely no clue about this ghost-like entity.
However, according to Kuro's description, she did recall the imposing figure she had seen in her dream. If this phantom was related to the figure that fought against the monster inside the door...
But that was still a dream, and it couldn't be used as actual evidence, especially since, besides the unclear face, there were too many commonalities.
Noah also tried to communicate with this phantom, but it completely ignored her. No matter what Noah said, it showed no reaction. And Noah's almost omnipotent sixth sense seemed to have no effect on this phantom. Unable to communicate, and unable to perceive the other party's will, besides knowing that ordinary people couldn't see this thing, all other information seemed to be zero. Even Noah felt at a loss.
She couldn't possibly go looking for some kind of exorcist, could she? Noah thought with some annoyance, "Forget it, I'm not thinking about it anymore. There will be a way when the time comes. What else can I do...?"
"..." Kuro offered no opinion. For something that couldn't be physically touched, she was indeed at a loss. The entity could interact with real-world objects, but whether with fists or weapons, they would only pass through its phantom. Such a cheating entity, naturally, was not something a purely physical character like herself could deal with. To use an analogy that readers might understand, it was like Lee fighting Obito Uchiha, with Obito constantly using Kamui.
If you can't even touch someone even with the Eight Gates activated, what can you do?
At times like these, Kuro felt a bit troubled by her inability to use Stone source art.
Fortunately, the phantom had been well-behaved so far, but a problem also arose: what if someone discovered the phantom on Noah? What then? Would they think Noah was actually hiding her strength or something similar?
However, so far, only Manner, Kuro, and Noah herself (who had been informed) could see the phantom. After it became clear that there was no way to deal with the phantom or establish any communication, Noah completely gave up. It's just carrying a spirit around, she thought. She'd just consider it having an extra Kuro to help! It would be a good chance for Kuro to rest, as the phantom could handle most of the tasks Kuro used to help Noah with.
When SilverAsh appeared in Noah's office again that afternoon, Noah caught a fleeting look of surprise on his face.
"You can see it?" Noah said straightforwardly, "You know... that shadow behind me?"
"Is this some new defense facility?" SilverAsh, though somewhat surprised, maintained the demeanor of a CEO and asked calmly. "It is indeed unique. Could you tell me more about it?"
"If I could tell you, I would... The problem is, I don't know much about it either."
"I see. Well, it seems at least not dangerous." SilverAsh nodded. "May I ask, is this something everyone can see?"
"...For now, only a select few can detect it," Noah replied. "You are the fourth."
"That is indeed an honor." SilverAsh gazed at the phantom behind her. "It looks quite marvelous just by appearance."
"For now, that's it. I haven't figured out how to deal with this thing either," Noah said with a hint of helplessness. "If it can just continue to behave, then thank goodness."
"I believe with Miss Noah's methods, you will perfectly master this peculiar gift." SilverAsh's tone carried a hint of jest. "Will this affect our negotiations?"
"I hope not." Noah shook her head, then placed the proposal on the table. "I plan to use Karlan Trade to win over companies on Columbia's side. From what I know of you, you have connections with various large corporations in Columbia."
"I see. You want to use Columbia's companies to pressure Kazimierz's Commercial Federation?" SilverAsh seemed to understand the purpose of this move. "The companies you want me to contact are all in urgent need of resources. And these resources can only be provided by Karlan Trade. Then Kazimierz's companies will no longer be so resistant to Karlan Trade's entry. 'Driving tigers to devour wolves,' as long as there are common interests, these companies that originally opposed us will also become our partners."
"If they don't want all the money to be earned by Columbia's companies, then Kazimierz will have to learn to unite appropriately," Noah commented with a smile. "This isn't a conspiracy; it's simply giving them a sense of crisis."
"Understood. I just hope Karlan Trade can also gain a portion of the profits from this."
"Of course, happy cooperation."
The two smiled at each other. If you want to form a business cartel, then don't blame me for bringing in foreign capital.
The so-called business war is just that unpretentious and tedious.
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