Eric found Mason's proposal intriguing but lacked the time to commit to it.

"I understand," Mason acknowledged. "There's always a trade-off. Your parents are in Salt City, and your company has your wife looking after it. It shouldn't be a big problem.

"If you agree, I can apply to build the base near Salt City. You can spend one or two hours a day guiding them. They are smart and skilled individuals, so it won't require much of your time."

To Eric, it appeared the military had chosen a group