Chapter 97: Counterattack Begins
After this unexpected turn of events, Oaks regretfully discovered that he could no longer transform into his spirit form.
Perhaps it was due to the unique effect achieved through the deep cultivation of the Balance magic. If he wanted to achieve this state again, he would need to continue his efforts.
However, he currently didn't have the time to continue his research.
Because he had discovered a serious problem—
"Damn it..."
When Oaks' spirit form returned to his body, he initially didn't feel anything amiss.
But as he attempted to transform into his spirit form again and failed, he decided to directly fly to the Stonehenge and investigate the mysterious energy from before.
However, now he realized that he couldn't shape-shift anymore!
"What's going on?!"
Oaks's heart suddenly accelerated. Losing the ability to shape-shift was no small matter!
"Restoration!"
A green light surrounded him, and Oaks breathed a sigh of relief as his restorative magic could be used normally.
"Moonfire Spell!"
"Boom!"
A phantom full moon appeared in mid-air, and a column of moonlight guided by cosmic energy blasted a large crater in front of the desert.
"The Balance System magic can also be used normally..."
But shape-shifting was still impossible!
"Could this be related to my spirit form?"
Oaks quickly thought of a possible issue.
After researching for a long time, Oaks finally helplessly discovered that perhaps it was because he had prematurely condensed his spirit form, which he should not have been able to do yet. His body now had a serious problem—
There was a deviation in the alignment of his body and soul.
Originally, Oaks was a soul that had traversed through realms.
The original soul dissipated, and his own soul, nourished and supported by the power of nature, took up residence in this body.
At first, there didn't seem to be any problems. His soul and body synchronously nurtured by nature energy merged increasingly, almost indistinguishable from the original host.
But now, first, the mental control from Druig had to some extent affected his soul. Then, when condensing his spirit form, his soul was influenced by that strange energy.
As a result, the nearly perfect harmony between his soul and body became discordant again.
This didn't have much impact on spells which relied on spiritual force, but it temporarily prevented him from using physical animal transformations.
"Solving this problem is quite troublesome..."
Oaks quickly understood his current state.
First, he needed to train his body to restore the coordination between his body and soul.
Second, he had to eliminate the mental influence of Druig's abilities.
Third, he had to merge with the strange energy and make his body adapt to it.
The first point was easy. He would find a fitness trainer to exercise properly since he relied too much on the support of nature magic and hadn't exercised much himself.
The third point was also manageable. That strange energy and the nature energy were highly compatible, so he believed that with some rest, he would eventually adapt.
But the second point...
He still hadn't fully deciphered the operation method of Druig's abilities.
If his assumptions were correct, this was most likely the work of the Celestials.
And merely relying on a short period of clandestine research to understand the Celestial's technology... he didn't have that capability. It would take at least half a year or a year to bring Druig over and study it thoroughly.
And he could be certain that Druig himself didn't know how to solve this matter. The way he used his abilities was instinctual. The only difference was the degree of exertion.
However, with the improvement of his mental power, this should also be resolved. He just didn't know how long it would take.
"Hopefully, I can manage it before the battle in New York... Otherwise, I'll have to settle for just being a balance spell practitioner."
Oaks wasn't too pessimistic because once these problems were resolved, his power would undoubtedly increase once again.
There was no point in staying here any longer. If another attraction of strange energy occurred during his cultivation and the symptoms worsened, it would be troublesome.
"But I've already noted down the location. I'll thoroughly study it after everything is over!"
...
After spending some time, Oaks returned to New York in early July.
He brought the significantly transformed Moco and Coco back to the headquarters of the Benevolence Society.
Instructing them not to show any abnormal behavior until the critical moment, Oaks let them return to the little rainforest to play.
"Chairman Oaks, welcome back!"
Secretary Antonio and Vice Chairman Blaze arrived at the chairman's office as soon as possible, accompanied by legal advisor Matt.
"Well... You've all worked hard during this period. Are you all prepared?"
Oaks raised an eyebrow when he saw Matt.
"Have the presidential candidates for both parties been confirmed?"
"Yes, Chairman."
The three of them exchanged glances, and Blaze was the first to report.
"About a month after you left, the Republican Party began issuing speeches in the areas under their control, openly criticizing the adverse effects of Obama's environmental policies on the economy, as well as the loss of American interests, and so on.
By the end of last month, the Republican Party had already confirmed Congressman Matthew Ellis as their presidential candidate, while the Democratic Party's incumbent president, Obama, is seeking reelection."
"According to your instructions, we chose Pennsylvania, near New York, for our pilot program."
Antonio solemnly reported the counterattack strategy of the Benevolence Society.
"Based on the current support for the two parties, Pennsylvania is one of the states where the forces of the two parties intersect.
One-third of the land in this state is farmland, and the livestock industry is highly developed. However, at the same time, the steel industry accounts for a quarter of the entire United States, resulting in severe air pollution.
This situation is particularly severe in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, where the steel industry is most developed.
On February 27th, Forbes website published a research report on urban air and water quality, ranking Philadelphia among the top five most heavily polluted cities in the United States.
So the 'Air Guardian No. 1,' the air purification tree species you developed, successfully obtained trial planting in the government buildings of the two cities, and the feedback has been very good.
At the same time, we promised that all tree species would be provided for free, and they only needed to plant them themselves—both city governments are actively researching its promotion to the steel industry."
"In addition, Chairman Oaks, after the Republican Party began their large-scale activities, the environmental protection industry nationwide has received varying degrees of capital attacks."
Matt pushed his sunglasses up and spoke with a serious tone:
"But as you expected, there has been almost no capital attack against the Benevolence Society. However, our environmental foundation and self-profitable industries have been subjected to numerous intellectual property and other legal lawsuits."
"Although these lawsuits seem ridiculous, they undoubtedly force us to expend significant effort to deal with them. However, Stark Industries' legal department has provided timely support."
"Well, I'll thank Tony for that... So, which other states are battlegrounds for the forces of the two parties?"
A cold light flashed in Oaks's eyes.
The situation had become quite clear. The World Security Council, or rather, the two branches of Hydra, intended to do something.
But they actually wanted to suppress his influence during this opportunity...
If he didn't counterattack, wouldn't they think of him as nothing more than a tree-planting philanthropist?
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