"..." Levi stood quietly.
" Young master?" Ling tilted his head.
"!!"
Levi sprung into action.
His hand doubled in length as it stabbed through Ling easily.
" Ugh! Wha..t...are you....doing..." Ling forced out as blood sprayed from his mouth.
" Young master!" Ling shouted.
"..." Levi's eyes regained their light.
" You shouldn't daydream out in the snow, you will catch-oh." Looking above Levi, Ling cut his sentence short.
A partially formed blood shield hung over Levi, catching any snow that threatened to fall on him.
" Do you take me for a fool?" Levi asked coldly.
" Pardon?" Ling asked in confusion.
" What do you gain from disrupting my business?" Levi asked.
" Wha-What do you mean, young master?" Sweat covered Ling's face.
"..." Veins bulged on Levi's neck.
" Hehe, so you found out. Kind of disappointing though, only finding the source of trouble after two years." Ling said calmly.
" Now, let me return your question to you. Do you think I am a fool?" His air changed.
"..." Levi kept silent.
" Your act on desolate mountain was quite convincing at the time, but how long do you think people will stay fooled?" Ling asked.
" In the beginning, I wanted to screw you over. Simply because you, some unknown brat appeared and turned me into a servant."
" But after looking at things a bit more in-depth I realized what was really happening."
" It took a while for me to realize myself, so I don't expect the majority those clods to notice a thing."
" Hell, even if I were to explain things in detail, most of them would probably still work for you like fools anyway."
" It's funny, isn't it? How they think they are working of their own volition."
" When in reality, you subconsciously control them with those mental energy seeds." Ling tapped his temple.
" Paying them, even allowing them to slack off."
" All of these things to keep them in line. Hehe, I am quite jealous, to be completely honest." Ling said.
"....You are talking very freely. What makes you think that I won't kill you?" Levi asked coldly.
" Haha, scatter my soul right?! I told you, I have already seen through your ploy! There is no point in putting on a show in front of me!" Ling burst out laughing.
"....If this was the younger me, I would have killed you without hesitation." Levi mumbled.
" Hmm? I didn't get that." Ling curiously said.
"!!!" Levi appeared before Ling, causing the later no small amount of shock.
Crack!
Ling's defensive qi shattered as Levi punched his face.
His body crashed through the wall of the small restaurant, causing pieces of wood to fly in multiple directions.
Sizzle!
" Aghhh!!"
" H-Hey, are you ok?!"
Shouts erupted inside the restaurant.
" Y-You..." Ling's voice trembled as he held his face.
Hot oil splashed on the left side of his face, causing no little amount of damage.
" If you were useless, I would have killed you." Levi said coldly.
" I can't scatter your soul, but I CAN give you a horrifying death." Levi began walking toward him.
" Hiii!" A ball-like man ran at the sight of Levi.
" Do you think that those mental energy seeds are fake? Hehe, then I have news for you." Levi snickered.
Puft!
Levi's mental energy flame appeared before his forehead.
Boom!
A small, powerful explosion rippled out as Levi snapped his finger.
" You spoke freely because you thought I couldn't kill you...Are you regretting that decision?" Levi bent over slightly, towering over Ling who lie on the ground.
" yo-you..." Ling stuttered.
" I decided that, for various reasons, I wouldn't control you guys with fear..." Levi paused.
"....But, there are always some people who can't behave without a bit of discipline." Levi's eyes glowed, as the surrounding air became dark.
" Wh-What?! Where?!" Ling found himself wrapped in darkness.
"..." He felt a prickling sensation on his back, causing him to stiffly turn his head.
"..." Two giant golden eyes loomed in the darkness, looking into the distance without interest.
" Wh-What the hell..." He stuttered as he stepped back carefully.
The eyes looked down at Ling.
" Begone." A bone-chilling voice echoed.
Darkness rolled toward Ling.
" W-Wait!" Ling stepped back.
He was not fast enough in retreating, as the darkness swallowed him.
" Huff!....Huff!!...Huff!" He awoke on the ground of the pan-fried restaurant, his body drenched in sweat.
" Where did your confidence go?" Levi asked, still looking down on Ling.
"!!!" Levi's voice shocked Ling greatly.
Because, although he didn't notice before, it was the same voice he heard in the world of darkness.
" If you, or any of those you surround yourself with stir up any more trouble, I will kill all of you. Remember this threat well." Levi said coldly as he left the half-destroyed restaurant.
" Um....sir..about my wall..." A ball-like man rolled out from somewhere.
"..." Ling didn't notice the man as he looked through the hole in the wall.
His ragged breathing didn't slow and neither did his speeding heart.
...
' Wow! I am genuinely surprised!' The demon saint clapped.
"..." Levi kept silent.
' What a great display of self-control! How you have grown!' He blew his nose.
"....Are you done?" Levi asked.
' Not yet! I saw it, you know? When your body grew sli-' The demon saint was cut off as Levi blocked out his voice.
"..." Levi slowed in contemplation.
Afterimages followed him as he moved at an amazing speed.
" Kek!!" He stopped after a few seconds while clutching his chest.
" Huh? Are you alright?" A passer-by asked.
" Still can't do it." Levi mumbled.
" Tsk." He clicked his tongue as afterimages followed him once again.
He reached his destination without delay this time.
" The market." Levi mumbled as he walked onto the street.
A light coat of snow lined its edges.
Martial artists and caged mutated beasts lined the street.
"....don't think that we forgot!!"
" Humph! Lizard and a few more of our guys were beaten half to death by you Red Sky bastards!"
" Let's kill them!"
The tension on the street grew, as people on opposite sides of the street glared and cursed at each other.
" Ahh?! You fucking bastards think you are something?!"
" You should be glad those guys are even still alive!"
" Pitiu! I don't mind killing someone today!"
The other side spat.
" Enough." Levi's cold voice cut through the storm of insults easily.
" Huh? Mind your own business!!"
" H-Hey, he's..."
" He's what?"
"..."
" If you've got something to say, then spit it out!"
Two men spoke.
" Boss!"
" Why are you here, boss?"
Some of the men from the right side of the street walked up to Levi.
" Where are the guys who started that last fight?" Levi asked.
" Well, they went back to the inn, but they may have already returned to desolate mountain."
" Why do you ask though? If you are worried, then no need! I heard that they half-killed Lloyd's guys, haha!"
"....What is going on here then?" Levi looked at the left side of the street.
The people on that side glared daggers at him.
" So you are their boss, brat?! Do you know how badly our guys were hurt?!" A brave man walked up to Levi.
" Lloyd was already compensated for that incident." Levi said.
" Compensation?! Do you think that money can bring a person back to life?!" The man shouted, his anger growing.
" Lloyd received compensation. If the people who were hurt didn't, that has nothing to do with me." Levi explained calmly.
" Do you hear this?!" The man turned around and shouted.
" This bastard...."
" Get them!"
The people on the left got up, ready to attack, while the people on the right did the same.
" Don't cause me any more trouble." Levi said.
" Ahh! Kill!"
People on the left side shouted.
" Do you think we will wash our necks for you?! Don't let them leave alive!" One of Levi's men shouted.
With weapons drawn, it looked as if a war had broken out as the two sides clashed.
".....Didn't I say...Enough?" Qi and blood energy exploded from Levi's body, as it grew slightly in size.
Thick Qi and blood energy flowed, pushing them away from each other.
" B-Boss, we are just defending ourselves!"
" Yeah, why are you attacking us too?" Levi's men questioned.
" You work for me."
" When I speak, you listen."
" What I order, you do."
" So why is it that my orders are falling on deaf ears?" Levi asked.
" Do I have to kill some of you to set an example?"
" Hmm?"
" Answer me." Levi questioned forcefully.
" N-No boss...."
" But-"
" We...We understand..." A few men said.
" Humph." Levi snorted coldly, as his body unnoticeably reverted to its original size.
" Prepare a mutated beast for me." Levi said.
" Yes, boss." A man answered.
"....The same goes for you, don't cause me any more trouble." Levi looked at Lloyd's men.
"..." They kept silent as he left.
...
Late evening.
Levi sat cross-legged, his eyes closed.
At this moment, water-like qi enveloped his body.
" Fuuu..." He breathed out as the qi seeped back into his body, causing his robe to fall loosely.
" Hmm...How irritating." Levi mumbled.
" Even worse...Outside is covered in snow!" Levi walked to one side of his room.
After pulling across the black curtains, the only thing blocking him from the large balcony was two doors.
" Sigh." He went back to his bed.
knock! knock!
" Come." Levi said as he lie on his side, propping his head up with his hand.
" I have brought the tools, along with the mutated beast." Nerezza said simply.
" Hmm." Levi got up.
The door closed with a click as Nerezza walked in.
In one hand she carried a well crafted brown, bamboo tool case.
In the other was a small cage with a purple bat the size of a hand.
The bat was completely still, as if dead.
" I will take my leave, then." Nerezza turned around.
" No need." Levi said simply.
He opened the cage easily, before taking out the bat.
He opened the tool case.
Inside were small surgical knives of different sizes and shapes.
In the other half of the case were glass tubes filled with a cloudy liquid and sealed with wooden stoppers.
"..." Levi cut the bat's neck, as red blood flowed.
The bat screeched weakly.
After a few seconds, two blobs of blood floated before Levi.
First was the much larger red blob, then there was a smaller purple blob.
Levi absorbed the larger blob, before turning his attention to the purple blood.
"..." A slightly glowing, pale white liquid was then separated from the purple blood, reducing it's size once more.
Puft!
A small blood flame burned the remaining purple blood to nothing, while Levi separated the white liquid into the five glass tubes.
" How much did the last five sell for?" Levi asked as he put back the last glass tube.
" They sold for roughly 25,000 silver coins each." Nerezza said.
" Hmm." Levi closed the case before handing it to her.
' Is it a good idea for you to let her see all of that?' The demon saint asked.
" It doesn't matter. Not after 2 years ago, when i....." Levi said as he lay on his bed.
' I don't understand. So because she knows one of your secrets, you will show her the rest?' The demon saint questioned.
" Don't be foolish, it is because she knows things about me that I keep her close." Levi explained.
" Now shut up, I'm trying to sleep." He finished.
...
The next day, morning.
Levi walked down the mostly empty street.
A thin layer of snow covered the road, along with the roofs of buildings.
Dling!
" Hrm? Ahhh, early again." Old gray yawned as he opened the back room's door.
" Hnn? Oh...isn't today your birthday?...January 9th.." Old gray slowly recalled.
" Enough about that. The auction is today and the ship arrives either today or tomorrow." Levi said.
" Hmm, how long are you planning to stay there for?" Old gray walked back into the room.
" I don't know. There are several things I want to do, I don't know how much time it will take to finish any of them." Levi said as he sat.
" Hmmm, while you're there, take some time to study inscriptions." Old gray said.
" I will." Levi replied.
" I mean it, you know! There are a lot of places that you could learn from, with teachers more qualified to teach than me!" Old gray said.
" You seem to know a lot about this place, hmm?" Levi said.
" Well, I am still the greatest inscription master though, hahaha!" Old gray's depraved laughter rang out.
" Avoiding the question, huh." Levi said.
" And! Don't start any trouble, ok?" Old gray said with a defeated expression.
" What do you take me for!" Levi slapped the table, a dark grin growing on his face.
" This is a business trip! My personal feelings cannot drive my actions." Levi got up.
" Humph, such a big talker! Hurry and get lost!" Old gray shooed Levi away unhappily.
" Oh, but old man...." Levi turned around.
" What?" Old gray asked.
" With me gone, you won't be getting any allowance!" Levi pointed out.
"....Wh-Wha?! On second thought, don't you dare leave this cloud continent, boy! Did you hear me?!" Old gray shouted to the departing Levi.
He only heard loud laughter in response.
" No! Come back, my allowance, come back!!" Old gray shouted.