Free Web NovelChapter 271: Jake’s Identity
"Congratulations, my dearest brother. You just proved them wrong! Your method is not easy to get. Hahaha!" Alfred made some noise in Brian’s house. He went to visit his house after hearing about the meeting that occurred and also seeing the things that Brian showed inside.
"You did not let those geezers have their way. Even if you were acting as an individual mercenary member, you are still the third young master and a rising rookie of White Lead."
"Rising Rookie? That’s my first time hearing that."
"Of course, it would be your first time hearing that, because those who called you that were those who believed they were the strongest." Alfred chuckled for a second, then looked at Brian with squinted eyes. "Yeah, so keep up the good work and try to impress them more."
"I don’t care. They are probably not worth considering. They were not important like the officials."
"You might be right about that, but not entirely since they were great assets to White Lead. Even though they are not from a good family, they are still reputable."
Brian became speechless and reflected on what he had said. And as he had time to assess what he said, an idea came into his mind.
’Reputable... And even though they didn’t come from a good family, they were still great assets. Thinking about it, I can’t help but be interested in them.’
"Brother Alred, didn’t you say they didn’t come from any family? What does it mean? Does it mean that at this moment, they were still unaffiliated with any family?" Brian asked, having an excited tone in his voice as his eyes also beamed.
This was an opportunity for him. Even though it was not obvious, he could have had some use for it since people nowadays rely on some family or affiliation despite being under White Lead. If in the outside world, in the Wu Region, people from White Lead had privileges over average people, inside White Lead, people with no affiliation faced discrimination.
Alfred looked at him with some kind of bothered expression. Before answering, he became hesitant.
"Ah, I think they are still not affiliated with anyone." He still looked at Brian with some kind of doubting eye. "Don’t tell me, you are going to recruit them under you?"
Brian smiled widely. "Can’t I? I am also a young master, right? I can gather people and have them work under me, and they will pledge to me. Does that bother you, Brother?"
Alfred shook his head and sat on a chair a little distance from Brian. "Not entirely. But, I am bothered by their nature. Even though they are reputable, they are still somewhat rejected by other normal members. They are narcissistic. They think they are the strongest, even though they are not. Extremely arrogant, I just couldn’t think any reason why till this day, they are living."
"You are too harsh for my people, Brother. Just wait and see. Things will be good for me."
"I just hope." And after it, a soliloquy was made by Alfred. ’Just where does his confidence come from?’
***
Overwhelming pressure, aura, and gaze went to Jake. He was standing before a formidable person, whom he couldn’t think he would win if a fight between them broke out. He was nervous, but he managed to hide it with the slight confidence that remained on him.
Jake was inside the principal’s house, more specifically, inside Banglang’s office. He was summoned here secretly and given no choice but to decline it, he went alone.
The cold room brought more nervousness to him. And just as Banglang moved and started walking to approach him, his eyes only looked in one direction, intentionally keeping them away from Banglang.
"So, who are you, Advisor Jake?"
It was the first question from Banglang since Jake arrived. This was their only chance to face each other personally. And as Jake listened to his question, he had an idea.
’He was obviously suspicious of me. But, what should I do? I am not good at being a spy or someone who hides their identity. What I can only do is try to evade his question, but it could be risky.’
"I am Jake, a warrior and also a friend of Brian."
Banglang gave him a serious gaze and stared at him for a few seconds before sighing.
"I am not threatening you or anything, Advisor Jake. But, to me, you are a suspicious person. I might be stupid, but when it comes to the province, I become serious. You are a threat to the province since we didn’t know you existed. Commissioner Del Dai already assessed you as someone who is strong, and I trust that assessment. That is why it is crucial for me to know who you are. Are we clear?"
He secretly gulped. He was nervous again, but he was keeping himself from being eaten by his fear. It was normal, and he had ideas about how to escape. He could run away from here, but it would mean that Brian would be in a tight situation. Nonetheless, escaping would never be an option.
"I am Jake, a warrior. I don’t know what you expect to hear, but I have no other way of introducing myself."
Banglang sighed in frustration and moved backward.
"Do you have any ill intentions towards the province?"
’This must be it. He must also be thinking about Brian’s well-being as well as the province’s. But, it still doesn’t remove the fact that he is suspicious of me. Then, I should do something that he could use as a reason to believe and trust me.’ He thought deeply.
"Big Boss, I don’t really know what you expect me to do for you to stop suspecting me, but I will do my best. Just tell me what you want me to do."
Banglang stared seriously at Jake and gave it a thought.
’This Jake... I can’t smell any lies from him, or maybe he is just a good liar... Let’s see...’
"Then, how about this? Take my trial, and I will believe you. How about it?"
Jake didn’t respond. It could be a trap. That was what was in his head. And thinking carefully about it, he couldn’t make any reaction visible to Banglang. He just froze in his position while his brain ran all along trying to find a solution to this small predicament. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
He let out an internal sigh and then faced Banglang. Furthermore, he then made his decision while bracing himself and clenching his fist.
’Banglang Wubao must be thinking that there were some mysterious things about me that were bothering him. I know that, and it is obvious. Some people claimed that I was strong based on what they saw in the sparring match. And what is noteworthy in this is that I am still young, who still hasn’t passed his teenage years, barely old enough to be called a young man. If this is the case, he might ask something personal, so I need to dodge that one.’
"If it is about personal things, I might decline that trial, Big Boss. And if you try to push any further, forgetting about my request to not pry into personal matters, I have no choice but to retaliate."
Banglang smirked after hearing that well-thought answer.
’This Jake... he is giving me of a somewhat expert in this field. Brian might have changed and also grew closer to him, which would be wrong if I tried to harm him. Furthermore, Brian might have changed, but he was still my family, and it didn’t change the fact that he is also a candidate to be my successor. I still haven’t seen his full potential, so disregarding his talent would be bad. He might not like it if I tried to kill Jake.’
It was a good decision, which obviously Jake could see. Banglang has pushed back again and had no choice but to change the trial he had in mind.
’I was thinking of fighting him and seeing if he had gone through a body transformation that only higher cultivators know how... But, since he already made the fence between the ideas, then, I should just ask him to show his sincerity and also loyalty.’ fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
"How about this? You will kill someone in exchange for my trust in you."
Jake paused. It was something he had least expected. As for some mercenary groups, they should be already indulging in the assassination, and it should be the least expected trial to have for trusting one’s loyalty. But, what was just given to Jake was something like this. Wouldn’t it be just too easy?
"Kill? Whom am I going to kill? Even if you want me to kill your enemies, I will do it."
"I want you to kill another leader of a region. In the Yong Region, there is someone called "The Leader of Peak Martial Leaders." I want you to kill that person."
Jake only stared at his eyes and then gave his answer. As soon as Banglang heard it, a wide smile appeared on his face that made him jump to Jake with a welcoming expression.
"You passed! No worries and suspicions for the both of us."
