Free Web NovelChapter 277: The Mission [2]
It didn’t take them long to arrive at their destination. They finally arrived at a small city, less thriving than they were in the northern part of the Wu Region, after a few rivers and mountains, and hasty movements with their Qi injected into their limbs.
Tired, they rested inside the city as they were immediately accommodated by the locals since they were the ones who requested the assistance. But as usual, the actions of the members of White Lead, acted as if they were locals, and the locals were being treated as if they were servants.
"What the hell is this? This tea tastes like water! Go get something new!" The shout just came from a normal member of the expedition team, and as he made a ruckus that took other members’ attention, Brian and Alfred noticed him.
Alfred stood up from his seat and walked slowly to the member, with his hands behind him. And as he looked gloomy, he darted displeased eyes at the man. Others who noticed it just looked away and moved away from the man.
He was confused, and as he tried to look for the answer, it was already too late for him as a shadow cast from behind which Alfred was standing.
"Did I hear that right? You just shouted at a local?"
The man knew it was Alfred as his dignified, deep voice reached his ears. And as he slowly turned to face him, his lips were already numb, and his hands were trembling.
"P-Pardon?" fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
He could only stutter. He was afraid of what might happen to him. Furthermore, he didn’t know his fault, and he was afraid that Alfred might punish him for not answering him.
"Did I hear that right? You just shouted at a local." Again, Alfred stood with a static, solemn face.
"I did, Young Master. Please forgive me." He then lowered his head. Even though he was still unsure of what he might have done, he just said what Alfred was expecting. He couldn’t handle the pressure anymore. His heart was beating too fast, making him irrational at this moment.
’What the hell is wrong with shouting at a local? They were not even members of White Lead, and it was their responsibility to serve us. I can’t understand the Young Master.’
"Good... It is good that you know what you did. But I don’t like your arrogance. For a measly person like you daring to raise his voice within the presence of two young masters of the Wubao family, I am infuriated to leave you unpunished."
Thud!
Without giving any other thought, the man kowtowed and begged for his life.
"Please forgive me, Young Master. I was wrong. Please spare my life. No. Please punish me according to your will."
And just like that, he knew he was already dead.
’Fuck... I am dead. But, at least, this anger that I am facing from the Second Young Master would be calmed by my plea for punishment. At least that way, my family will be left untouched.’
Alfred didn’t move and just looked down at the man that was still kowtowing in front of him. As he stared at him, he knew others were still watching them, and the feeling just became unsightly for him.
He groaned and rolled his eyes.
"Forget about it. I am not wasting my energy on punishing you. But, remember this: anyone who dares to boss around any locals will face punishment from me. If anyone bosses around, you will also face punishment, even if it wasn’t you."
He turned around and went back to his seat while others looked away, afraid to meet his eyes.
***
"That was cool. What Young Master Alfred did was just right. Being a noble to the locals was what a rightful member of White Lead should do. Even though it is their responsibility to work for us, it is our responsibility to protect them. It is a mutual benefit." Seva remarked, having some fairy tales in his head as he walked with Jake and Brian to inspect the area.
Jake didn’t react to it, obviously. However, deep inside, he was confused to see some young master like Seva talking about nobility when, in fact, the source of the atrocities that were inflicted on the people was the White Lead. And note, Seva’s family also benefited from those atrocities.
’How could he think of it that way? Was he kind of absent from reality and living in some fairy tale?’
Anyone would think of it that way. From Seva’s behavior towards the rumor about Brian’s creating such feats to wanting to join him in his journeys. Did he think that life was some kind of doing heroic things? Brian was also confused about this at first, but seeing that it didn’t harm him in some manner, he just let it be.
"Yeah... Cool..." Brian muttered awkwardly.
"Brother Brian, do you think I could be as strong as you two? I want to be a hero."
"Hero? Why would you ask that? Do you think we are some kind of heroes?"
Jake had already suspected it, and it was proven by that question. Seva did think of being a hero, which could only appear in some fairy tales that only children loved to hear and read.
’Immature...’ Jake thought, grunting silently as he walked behind the two of them.
"Yes, you two are heroes. The Second Young Master is also a hero. I couldn’t forget how noble he was. Helping those locals being bullied was just what a hero should do."
"Ah..." Brian paused, but still continued to walk. "Just train; for sure, your efforts will bear fruit."
Even though it wasn’t what Seva was expecting, a smile still appeared on his face. He then watched Brian walk faster, and just scratched his nape, confused.
The three of them finished their inspection, and after a few minutes, they returned to the temporary camp that they built as soon as they arrived.
Everyone was doing their business. However, it was disrupted when a sudden explosive sound emerged, alarming everyone in the camp. They all stood up, looked in the direction where the sound came from, and held their weapons tightly gripped.
"Everyone, assemble! We will check what it was." Alfred ordered everyone, and some of his subordinates started flying with him to inspect what it was.
In a snap movement, everyone had gathered and formed lines to go to the source of the explosion. And just as they went there, everyone was disturbed. Their stomachs almost flipped upside down as they looked at a bloody scene.
The scent of blood ran along their nostrils and the cultivators flying above were just disgusted as they saw how the scene looked like a monster being smashed into mince with a huge foot of some sort.
"What is this? The blood spilled onto the trees around. This could be just one massive power hit to a huge monster. What was the monster?" Brian muttered, creating a question that everyone could use as a guide to investigate.
"The monster was indeed huge..." Alfred mumbled, then started landing at the center of the scene. He then enhanced his senses to check some essence to see if there was a familiar one. However, he failed to see some, which he informed everyone else of.
"This is huge..." Seva muttered.
He was curious to see others’ opinions as well, so he looked for Jake’s too. However, Jake wasn’t to be seen.
"Wait... where is Advisor Jake?"
Due to his question, Brian then also looked for Jake. However, he didn’t see him.
"He is just around. Don’t be too bothered. We still have things to see." Brian remarked, making Seva nod in accordance with what he just said.
Everyone else then did their own inspection of what happened. They checked every direction and the nearest rivers and caves that could be a den of some bigger monsters. But, they just didn’t see any traces of a bigger monster, which raised a huge question in their heads.
"What caused this scene?"
"I don’t really know... I can’t think of any answers. Probably a giant flying monster landed on another monster? But, there must be a trace, right? A feather or some hint that a monster really landed here."
"That is a mystery."
***
"Grand Master, everything is ready." Jake lowered his head and half-knelt in front of a person shrouded in shadows in a cave. He showed his respect, and when the person faced him, a familiar face was revealed.
"Jake, you did well. Now... you just need to follow me. The plan to take over White Lead is already over."
"Then, does that mean that Brian Chang will be our ally too? As you initially planned, Grand Master?"
Lucas just walked slowly towards Jake. A mysterious smile was painted on his face, and as he responded, Jake couldn’t help but be tense as he waited for the answer at the end of his sentence.
"Something like that is unnecessary to answer. Why? Are you already attached to Brian Chang?"
"No, Grand Master."
"Then good. Don’t forget that he is just a tool for us to get what we are aiming for."
