Mais took two heavy steps toward the center of the room. When the steady, gray gaze of his blind eyes rested upon Tenma, the tense air in the room completely dissipated, leaving its place to Mais's unshakeable authority. "I am not hiding, Tenma," Mais said, his voice flat and calm as always. "I simply had business that needed to be done."
He did not seem like an 11-year-old child. Had he ever been one?
Without entering into the details of his journey with Ursul, he continued speaking: "When I entered the city, I first went to Xiao Diarozu. I completely brought him and his family to our side. Right now, they have already left the city."
Upon these words, a momentary shock appeared in Hideo's round eyes, followed by an enlightenment. He thought of the peak formation Mais had obtained at the auction and the Sage weapon in his hand; he instantly grasped the real reason behind an old fox like Diarozu being convinced so quickly. This sudden expression of understanding on Hideo's face did not escape his father Tenma's notice. Tenma shot a sharp glance at his son from beneath his red hair and made a mental note to ask him about this matter later, when they were alone.
Tenma took a deep sigh, looking at the maps on the table. "And what about our assets here?" he asked, the anger in his voice giving way to the anxiety of a strategist. He tried to make Mais forget his previous words. "Baro's eyes are upon us. How are we going to liquidate so much property without drawing attention?"
It was perfectly normal that he did not want to incur a loss.
"Baro is already aware of your situation," Mais said, lightly striking his Bo staff against the ground. "There is no need for you to rush. Sell all your assets here to the Four-Leaf Guild. They will find a way to transfer the money quietly. Afterward, go secretly to Red River City and begin acting in alliance with Xiao Diarozu, who has settled there."
Mais turned his gray eyes away from both men this time and lowered his tone a bit more. He walked toward the armchairs in the room. Hideo did not stand up, but he was quite tense, torn between whether to stand or not. At that moment, Mais spoke. "When you arrive in Red River City, I want you to gradually impoverish its people. Buy up all the mineral resources and deposits in the region using obscured identities."
In Red River, the livelihood of the people was almost entirely based on blacksmithing. The heart of the economy beat there, and all other business sectors were directly affected by it.
While Tenma tried to understand what Mais was aiming for, Mais continued to provide the details: "Monopolize the mineral resources and drive raw material prices to exorbitant points. Of course, you must have a logical excuse so that the people and the blacksmiths do not become suspicious; claim that the caravans are being relentlessly attacked by bandits and that the roads are unsafe. Because of the price increases, the people must start complaining directly about the City Lord."
Mais turned slightly and looked out into the darkness. He knew that the building was constantly being watched by Baro's core experts. All of them had vanished the moment Mais stepped into the Yun Manor. "City Lord Porius Navan is in no position to listen to the people's plight these days. As the state elections approach, he has dedicated his entire focus to developing his son's cultivation. This is a massive opportunity for his son. If his son can achieve great success in the tournament or the elections, he can secure a spot in one of those colossal clans in the capital. While Porius is chasing this dream, this is a wonderful opportunity to undermine the city lord's authority."
Tenma was still not sure what Mais aimed for at this point. What if they stripped Porius of his authority? Taking over Red River City... Mais had grand goals, but the contribution of achieving this target to an army was questionable. Tenma even doubted whether Mais failed to see the big picture.
When the conversation reached this point, Mais turned toward Hideo. "Hideo, would you leave us alone with your father for a moment now? There is one last matter I need to discuss," he requested politely. Hideo bowed with his usual distant obedience, left the room, and closed the door behind him.
After making sure that Hideo's footsteps had completely faded away and no one was left in the corridor, Mais approached Tenma. "Tenma," he said, his voice more intimate this time, yet just as calculated. "I hope that Xiao Linlin and Hideo Yun will marry."
Tenma raised his eyebrows at this proposal, continuing to listen while stroking his beard. Now, this proposal was quite unexpected and intriguing.
"This marriage will make the alliance and bonds between the Sages among us much stronger," Mais added. "I have already spoken about this personally with Xiao Diarozu, and he views this idea quite positively."
Tenma thought for a moment with the experienced gaze brought by his forties. He didn't actually know Xiao Diarozu's past, but him being connected in some way to the western Xiao Dynasty would bring about the chance of Hideo's children being born with a special physique. It wasn't a very likely probability, but it was much better than not having it at all. Xiao Diarozu had thought no one would notice this, but Tenma was someone who read and traveled a lot. He had seen a member of the Xiao Dynasty before. Although Diarozu did not resemble them much, his daughter did. His son marrying Linlin, that slant-eyed, pale-skinned girl, would also provide them with a strong foothold in their new order in Red River City. It would reduce the probability of Xiao Diarozu turning his back on him and increase the intimacy between them.
"This... is indeed a good idea," Tenma said, appreciating the grandeur of the plan. This plan actually benefited Mais the most. It significantly lowered the probability of these two Sages betraying each other for power.
"Good," Mais said, appearing thoughtful. "I hope the wedding will be in Red River City. You will handle the planning."
Without even giving Tenma an opportunity to say anything additional, ask questions, or object on this matter, Mais rose from the armchair, spun the Bo staff in his hand, turned around, and swiftly left the house like a shadow just as he had come, blending into the darkness of the night.
As Mais made his way through the dusty streets of the Yellow City toward his own home, namely Kasuur's manor, the humid air left behind by the rain had given way to a familiar hustle and bustle. The heated conversation among a few elderly men passing by the roadside, who had likely just finished a challenging workday, caught Mais's attention. The old men were talking about going directly to "Master Mehmet's White Bean Stew Restaurant" after work to indulge in a feast.
Mais slowed his steps momentarily and paused. His mind instantly went to Valeria, the little girl with green eyes and chubby cheeks he had left at home. He knew very well that Valeria was a true white bean stew gourmet, harboring an inhuman passion for this dish that frightened even adults. He had been away for a few days, leaving the girl alone, and he thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring her a small gift upon his return. Kasuur was also in the same house; he hadn't seen him for days either. However, he didn't even cross his mind to buy any gift for Kasuur. On the contrary, his mind, contemplating the days behind his gray eyes, was weighing whether he should make Kasuur's harsh training conditions a bit more severe, now that he was back in the city. That boy shouldn't be spoiled.
Once the idea settled well with him, Mais changed his direction and stepped inside the shop. Making his way to the counter amidst the intense smell of spices and boiling stews, he placed his order: white bean stew and rice. But not just an ordinary portion; the "motor oil" version, renowned for its famous, heavy, and dense aroma.
"Did this kid... just order white bean stew with motor oil?!"
"He's just a little kid. How can he eat this monstrous dish? Isn't he afraid of the consequences?"
"Hey... this kid... oh, I know who he is."
A child looking as young and delicate as Mais requesting such a heavy, blue-collar meal, and in its greasiest form at that, caused astonished looks from many customers in the shop. Although there were those among them who recognized Mais, his next words left them no opportunity to explain.
"To go."
The nearby old men breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ah, everything makes sense now."
"I was wondering how it's possible for such a small child to eat a meal like this. Apparently, he's taking it to his father or grandfather or something."
"How foolish. We really thought such a small child could eat this food. We must be getting old."
They thought to themselves that he was probably taking this heavy meal to a relative or master at home who was an elderly, high-level white bean stew veteran. Of course, there were a few people in the shop from among the locals of the Yellow City who recognized Mais, and they didn't find it too difficult to guess that the greasy white bean stew was bought for Valeria, the chubby-cheeked girl at home who was two years younger than Mais. Still, when the others constantly cut them off and refused to listen, these people chose to just laugh at their ignorance.
Valeria would frequently run away from home and return crying with her head held low, scolded either by Mais or by Anika. The gourmets who frequently visited Master Mehmet's place knew her.
While Mais waited for his package to be prepared, he eavesdropped on the voices of the employees coming from the kitchen section of the shop. Amidst the routine jokes, clattering plates, and shouted orders, his mind fell into a strange void. A voice was missing. He couldn't hear Jalal's usual booming voice that defied his age.
'Ah, that's right.'
At that moment, he remembered; Jalal had died in the Legacy of the False Dragon. He was no longer in this world. Mais's mood soured slightly with this thought. He silently took his package, paid the fee, and turned his steps back toward the manor.
When he opened the door and stepped inside, however, the atmosphere in the house was not at all what he expected. The person greeting him was neither Valeria nor Kasuur. Standing right in the middle of the room, not with the aura of a Sage but like a monarch filled with rage, was City Lord Baro. His black eyes practically spat fire, and his goatee trembled with anger.
Without breaking the blank expression on his face, Mais tried to act as indifferent as possible, being careful with the hot, ready package in his hand. Baro, on the other hand, stepped forward, trying with all his remaining strength to suppress the rage accumulating inside the room for the sake of maintaining his authority.
"If you dare leave this city without my knowledge again, Mais..." Baro said, his voice as venomous as a viper's hiss. "The consequences of this will be bloodier than you can ever imagine."
Mais kept his gray, blind eyes fixed in Baro's direction. He did not care about this threat one bit. He was at ease; because Maria's life was directly in his own hands. He knew very well that Baro would not just abandon his own daughter, a piece of his own life, to death, and that no matter how angry he was, he would never cross that line. This stubborn and arrogant ease of Mais completely made Baro's patience overflow.
Instantly closing the distance between them, Baro thrust his hand forward and, grabbing Mais by the throat, lifted him into the air in a single motion. While Mais's feet left the ground, the pressure on his throat cut off his breath, but that dull arrogance in his gray eyes was still firmly in place. Baro brought his face very close to Mais; this time, there was a ruthless gleam in his black eyes.
"Do not gamble with me, boy," Baro whispered. "If my daughter's life is in your hands, the life of that chubby-cheeked little girl inside is also currently in my hands. It takes but a single order of mine. Or, if you want, I can do it with my own hands!"
Even though his throat was being squeezed, Mais said with difficulty, "I don't care..." The ice-cold tone in his voice reflected his personality to an extent.
To an extent.
Baro was a clever man. He did not look at the expression on Mais's face; his gaze drifted to the hot package that Mais was trying to hold tightly in his suspended hand, the bottom of which was slowly beginning to tear due to the shaking. As the smell of the white bean stew with motor oil spread into the room, the sauce of the food was leaking down from the sack paper.
The corner of Baro's lips curled into a mocking smile. He dropped Mais harshly to the ground. While Mais tried to find his balance, Baro turned around and began walking toward the door. Mais's coughing echoed in the room. Just before leaving, Baro looked at Mais over his shoulder with an expression far different from anger—a melancholic one:
"No, boy... You do care. And much more than you think."
Baro left the manor with the threat he left behind. Mais, on the other hand, was left standing right there in the middle of the room, rubbing his throat. His gaze locked onto the spilled white bean stew with motor oil, which he could no longer hold in his hand and which had crashed to the floor, bursting and scattering around with pieces of the pottery. That hot food spreading across the luxurious stone floor of the room was hurting him like a piercing thorn, standing in stark contrast against all those grand decisions he had just made and the strategies he had built.