Flowing Cloud Sect, one of the overlords outside the Empire of Dawn, a figure could be seen inside a glamorous mansion, this figure, clad in a dress shining in resplendent colors, sat before a table. In the opposite direction, another figure clad in a jet-black robe. The figure's aura retracted and if you would never detect his presence if you're not looking at him.
"Molox, how's everything going in the Imperial Palace?" the figure clad in the beautiful dress spoke, her tone filled with anticipation towards the robed man's answer.
"Everything is going fine, however, that Emperor is too cautious, I could only intrude with the help of the First Prince," Molox replied in a hoarse voice, "You need not worry about everything, Mistress Batian, or I should say, Mistress Cloud?"
The woman's expression turned ugly, "Did I told you not to call me with that despicable name?" Molox laughed in return, "Yeah, I shouldn't call you that, however, are you sure about continuing this plan? If we do this, your daughter, Sophia will lose a father, you know?"
In response to his words, her gorgeous expression became devoid of the previous beauty as she venomously spat, "That man, ever since he abandoned me to die, ten years ago, I have already considered him as a stranger, all the time that we spent together is just a matter of the past." Her eyes flashed in a critical light, "However, that doesn't mean that I will forget what he did! Soon, soon...My revenge will surely come..."
Molox chuckled and didn't say anything.
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The first burst of sunlight descended as Dan's consciousness awakened from slumber. Standing up, he took a bath and prepared for a feast. The servants who noticed him greeted him with respectful smiles as usual. Arriving at the dining room, Dan knitted his eyebrows and asked, "Mister George, where is my father? He's been missing since yesterday..." He took a chair and sat down before the table.
"The master is still busy training the troops, he came out of the Estate early at daybreak..." A butler with olden features responded to him as he handed Dan some utensils to use.
"Training the troops, eh? Why is he doing that so urgently, could it be that the situation at the border is worse than we think?" Dan munched on a meat dish as he spoke these words. George turned towards him, his eyes flashed in a confused light, 'Why is the young master interested in these matters? Previously, the questions that he would ask me was what family's girl is beautiful or who is the girl that has the biggest booty in the City...'
Regaining his calm, he became happy when he noticed that the former's demeanor looked more of a man than a spoiled brat. Respectfully smiling, George replied, "There's been quite a strife between the Empire of Dawn and the Empire of Eternal Faith, at first, it was just small skirmishes but the enemy started sending Divine Soul Practitioners in the battlefield, causing massive damage and casualties..."
"I see," Dan mumbled as he continued his meal, not bothering about the matters of the Empire anymore, after all, he still has his own problems to solve and it would be inefficient to solve them all at once.
Finishing his meal, Dan didn't eat much, instead, he walked out of the Estate, turning towards a dark alleyway before activating his disguise. Continuing his journey, he walked towards the direction of the slums community.
The Empire of Dawn maintained a strict hierarchy when it comes to power, from Noble, Middle Class, and Slum. The person's qualification in society would be decided at birth according to the status that the person's parents have. Fortunately, one could rise up through the ranks by giving meritorious services in the army or gaining a vast amount of wealth.
Both of the options were difficult to achieve. Because of this, the population of the slum community increased as it became the land where crimes and petty thievings, concentrated. Eventually, they were shunned by those people above and garnered a hatred for them deep within their hearts.
That was the reason why Dan suffused a disguise when he visited the area, and indeed, when he arrived at the border separating the Middle Class from the Slums, a putrid stench of excrement and urine assaulted his sense. Dan knitted his eyebrow. But as someone who lived his childhood in such conditions back in his previous life, he quickly regained his calm as he slowly walked, deeper into the slums.
People stuck their heads outside of their thatched huts, wondering about the foreign visitor who suddenly arrived. But upon noticing that he looked average and that he didn't seem to have that much wealth on his body, they became uninterested as they retracted their gaze.
Dan's aim wasn't to only take a closer look at their living condition. But also, to find people that were worthy of nurturing, after all, one of the most hardworking people, came from the lowest rung of society.
His journey continued on for five minutes before he arrived in front of a hole in the wall, a street food stall where the fresh scent of fried meat and vegetables emanated. Dan entered it as a kind-looking auntie whose visual appearance looked to be at the mid-twenties greeted him with a smile,
"Welcome!"
"May I get some fried dough sticks and some savory soy milk?" Dan spoke in a hoarse tone, the auntie nodded her head with a smile as she took two bowls before handing it over to Dan. Staring at the shiny soy milk and the freshly fried dough sticks, a smile crept on his face as he reminisced about his previous life. He became gratified that this meal existed in this world.
Finishing his meal, Dan paid two copper coins, but he didn't leave. He just sat down, relaxing as if in a middle of deep contemplation. The auntie didn't mind as she kept on humming a tune, waiting for customers.
Two hours passed, yet the auntie still didn't have any customers other than Dan. Everything seemed tranquil. At the next hour, Dan finally stood up. The auntie followed him with her gaze as she said, "Thank you and come again..." Walking outside of her store, he was about to continue his journey, but before he could step a single foot outside, a coughing fit of a young girl echoed behind him.
"Juliet, are you okay?" The auntie said as she hurriedly supported the young girl who looked to be at the age of nine, her figure looked skeletal and her visage, pale, an indication that she's not receiving nutrients from what she was eating.
Dan turned around, staring at the scene of the auntie whose expression looked like she was about to cry and her gesture of desperately helping the young girl, Dan didn't realize his frozen heart, slowly thawing away. Moving towards the two, Dan placed his right hand on her back as she utilized a technique that he learned back then in calming coughing fits.
The furious coughing of the young girl disappeared, and the color of her expression returned, the young auntie stared at this change and she couldn't help but endlessly thank him in return. Dan waved his hands, "You need not mind it, but I'm just curious, just where is her father?"
The young auntie's expression turned melancholic, ushering her daughter inside their room just behind their stall, she started talking, "My husband died early while fighting for the Empire..." Her words, simple, yet it contained several deep meanings about the reality of the lives of the common populace inside this Empire.
"The Empire didn't give any financial support?" Dan's eyebrows lifted. The young auntie shook her head in reply, "No, they gave us money but it is still not enough for us to get out of the slums." Indeed, one would need at least a million silver coins or a hundred thousand gold coins to achieve the qualifications of a middle-class citizen.
Dan sighed in his heart, he knew that the young auntie was kind in heart, just from her actions alone, he understood her undying love towards his sick daughter. Taking a token from his robe, Dan threw it towards her as he said these words, "Tomorrow, you can find me at the Longinus Clan Estate, give this token to a butler named George and he will know what to do."
His cryptic words resonated in the heart of the young auntie as she stared at the token with her eyes, reddened. The jade token looked simple, but the domineering and mighty name engraved on the token, enabled anyone who holds it, entry to any place within the City with the exception of the Imperial Palace.
Later on, Dan finally arrived at the Longinus Clan Estate, walking inside the hallway, butler George greeted him as he said, "Young master, the master is asking for your presence at the study room." Dan's expression flickered, nodding his head, he continued in the study room where he found his father, leaning on a chair, staring at him with a slight smile on his face.
"You did well fighting against those three assassins," Zaramias spoke in a teasing tone. Dan revealed a wry smile, 'This old man's stealth skills is actually good enough that he evaded the System's scanning...'
"Old man, since you knew about it already, how about you stop teasing me and get to the point?" Dan rolled his eyes in response, Zaramias saw his actions as he exploded into a jubilant laugh, "You really fooled everyone in the City of Cloud, to think that you just acted like the pig to eat the tiger..." His eyes flashed in a complicated light, clasping his hands together, he said, "Well, putting all the jokes aside, since you're quite a competent one, how about you join the Fiery Blood Army?"
Dan's visage changed, he stared at Zaramias whose expression maintained that teasing and complacent smile. Shrugging, he replied with a determined tone, "Since I don't have anything much to do anyway, Fine, I'll join that army of yours..." Dan knew that the only way he could increase his fighting strength was with constant life and death battles, and to survive in this world, one needs strength!