"My darling Grid, what a pleasure." The sultry voice of Associate Producer Risha came from the other side. "What are you contacting this very single, feral, and wet lady for?"

"You were contacted by someone not long ago, yes?" Grid asked indifferently.

Risha giggled. "I am contacted by many people, handsome."

"I think you know exactly who I’m talking about, no."

"No, no. I think you’ll have to come and show me. Sometimes I can’t seem to find things. Like my clit, for example. It’s just hidden beneath so many layers of skin and liquids. Sometimes I slip and fall around it and end up plunging a little too deep instead. Could you help me with that too?"

"Shiikha." Grid replied as though he hadn’t heard her tirade.

Silence came from the other end of the phone. For a long while, Risha didn’t reply. In fact, it was Grid who spoke again first.

"Recently, one of her ilk was caught. Muskrat, I believe it was." Grid continued calmly. "I’m sure that if she were to make a list of people to contact, you would be at the top of that list. After all, you are one of the few Associate Producers who isn’t a Monelay.

"You all are so heavily monitored and scrutinized, everything you do is just out and about for everyone to witness. But you know how the saying goes... often it’s better to hide things in plain sight, no?"

Risha giggled, but it sounded a bit darker than usual.

"You know, I have heard of the intelligence of the Monelay. It makes pulling the wool over their eyes all the more satisfying. But I would have to guess that for someone with as little background as you to rise to the point you have, you had to have a little extra something that they do not."

"Yes. I do. It’s called a healthy respect for living creatures."

Risha burst into laughter. "I cannot tell if that makes you a better or a worse person. On the one hand, not caring about the lives of others makes it only make sense that you’d treat them like weeds. But if you truly do value every life, doesn’t that just make you even more of a psychopath?"

"I am responsible for Muskrat being caught." Grid replied, ignoring her words.

Risha’s words clipped. "... Why?" she eventually asked.

"Because when they believe that they have their rat, it’ll be easier to allow others to scurry by."

"And what will that mean for when they crack Muskrat?"

"Then I guess that just means your spy has to not crack."

"Sometimes it isn’t the person’s choice."

"Well, I happen to have great trust in your organization. You wouldn’t pick just anyone to attach to Grey Temolt, now would you?"

One could practically feel Risha’s eyes narrow.

"What do you know about Grey Temolt?"

"Nothing much. But I’ve noticed quite a curious pattern around him. You ever notice that it’s not just the Producers targeting him? But the spirits of the Genesis World as well? It’s almost like he’s given them reasons to be mad before.

"Almost like he’s trapped in a loop they just barely remember."

"You seem to know quite a lot." Risha said coldly, the sultry seduction in her voice vanishing.

"As is the right of a Genesis King. Even one upon a hollow throne." Grid said indifferently. "But lucky for you, the Monelay have completely infuriated me this time."

"Oh? You don’t blame Grey Temolt?"

"Why would I blame a child for the mistakes of his parents? Grey Temolt will die, but it will have little to do with me. His death will be because of Udon, the sponsors, and the Genesis System who he has probably enraged several times already. I will not have to do anything. Instead, I’ll use him to launder my father’s image and raise my station."

"Do you believe he’ll fall that easily? Clearly you don’t know enough about the power he holds."

"Au contraire. I know enough. Certainly enough to know that if the Titans were infallible, they wouldn’t be buried in the ashes of history, and they certainly wouldn’t have to choose a foul mouthed little boy to represent them."

Risha had no response.

"Now, for the reason I called you," Grid continued calmly, "Shiikha. You were contacted by her, correct?"

Risha didn’t reply.

"Make this easy on me, Risha, dear," Grid said in a voice that belied the edge of cold within them, "I don’t want to have to sacrifice another like I did Muskrat."

"... She did." Risha said slowly.

"And you probably have something to do with how Caldrin conveniently made it to the completion point of the second Chapter, correct."

"... Yes."

"You did a great job. That makes quite a good storyline. Perfect, really. I have no complaints at all, and I won’t even ask how you managed to do it, there’s no need.

"I just have some things I’d like you to do in the same ilk."

"... And that is?"

"The situation with the Elementals isn’t going too well right now. If things stay like this, he will die too soon. Titan or not, if the Elementals decide to send a real challenge at him, death will be the only option. Not every element is as wild and oddly malleable as lightning is. So I’m going to need you to make a bit of a distraction to keep them off of his back until he clears the first arc.

"After that, I don’t care what happens to him. Well... That’s if he survives this first. Otherwise, he’s not even worth using in my plans."

Risha frowned. It wasn’t that easy. If it was, they would have done it already.

"No need to worry about the how. I have all of that figured out already. You just have to do it. Understood?"

Risha leaned back into her chair, a frown heavy on her face. She had known how scary Grid was a long while ago. If the Monelay weren’t so obsessed with becoming a Genesis Race, they would have named him their leader a long time ago.

Unfortunately, you needed a certain level of bloodline purity to reach that level, and Grid was far from pure.

What difference did that make when you had this level of mind?