"Ah! Okay." He nods and stands silently on one corner of my room. We wait for a few minutes before the door was opened again and this time, 5 boys from my entourage of 12 enter the room, cramping it immensely. Among them was Jia too and other than him, there was Ming Hu, Lu Shao, Xiao Long (his actual name is Long something but I call him Xiao Long because he is small… and kinda cute) and Xue Heng.
Ming Hu is the scrawny kid with an oval face, skinny arms and snake-like eyes with a distinct eastern feel around him. Lu shao is muscled boy with broad shoulders, un-intelligent eyes and a muscled head. Typical.
Xiao Long was, like all small and innocent boys, cute but it seemed like he hid a different personality of him inside that innocent-self of him. I guess, on my extensive experience of characters and personalities, it to be … either S&M or … yandere or something but guess not! Those are words for lovey-doveys and Xiao Long definitely isn't in love or something. Bah! What am I thinking!!!
Xue Heng, on the otherhand, is a cold boy. Extremely cold. Woah! Not the 'kul' kid, the COLD kid, freezer, get it! He rarely talks, even to me but he is a nice kid and I get that. All evil people have a good-guy radar and Xue Heng is currently flaring it up like hell!!
Anyway, they all stood in a semi-circular way and looked extremely tense and fidgety. I smile faintly at them and comfort them, "Don't worry, I'll not eat you."
Clutter… clutter…
Huh… even after comforting them, they still stood tensely, infact, it looked like they were even more frightened than before. Am I really that scary? I'm not a cannibal or anything but I'm flattered, boys! But, guess I will just drop my smiley face.
"Anyway, boys, since you all are so tense about why I called you here, I will quench your curiosity. Tell me something and be honest, do you boys want to … cultivate?"
"Huh?!" Xiao Long cries out, shocked but the next moment, he puts his hands over his mouth to shut himself up, in quite a cute way.
"M-master, are you serious?" asks Jia, gulping in anxiety. I nod my head and ask them, a little bored, "Yes! Now, do you want to? Or not?"
They looked confused, frightened and even a little excited but they didn't answer right away. Instead they whispered to each other but I was already a lot bored. Why do they take so long for such a simple answer?!!!
"If you don't answer within the next second I will—"
"I AGREE!!!" x 6
"W-we mean, we agree, master…" Jia speaks for all of his friends, a little embarrassed.
"Good!" I say, "That's good to hear. Now, sign these papers and you will, officially, or rather, unofficially, be my students. Or rather not. Just sign them." I hand them a bunch of papers which literally translates as, 'You will not join another sect without my notice or permission,' 'You will not acknowledge another person as your Master without my consent,' 'You will not enter any place, special or not and especially if it is special, without my notice,' 'You will do everything I say you to do, even if that means to go f*ck a pig' and in return, I will pay for all of your expenses, starting from Cultivation Techniques, resources, elixirs, pills, potions and everything. Simple.
They read through everything slowly but then Jia raises his hands up. A question, perhaps.
"Yes, what is it, Jia?"
"Master, I know it is not my place to ask you of this but … what about my family?"
His question almost petrifies the other boys and they all stop reading and stared hard at me with sad eyes. Usually, this kind of question would fluster any and all kind of master and they would be at a loss of words on how to explain the subject of Immortality and its consequences but I do not.
I shrug my shoulders and reply, "That's upto you, boy. The contract says that I will help you with resources, techniques and guidance and everything in between but I never mentioned anything about your family."
My answer immediately saddens them and they look down in pain.
"But." I say abruptly, grabbing their attention, "Like I said, it's all upto you, boys. If you want to do something for your family, you have to do it yourself. Whether you want to help them economically, give them something invaluable or make them a noble or something will only depend on you. But! Remember, I will not do anything for them. Also, let me tell this to you straight up, I will not stay here forever. I will move on and so will you, if you sign that contract. Therefore, if you want to do something for your family, you have to do it in the interval I'm, or rather, we're here. Get it?"
"Absolutely!!" Jia shouts out loud and so does the other boys, especially Wu and Xiao Long.
"Alright! Alright! Now, sign those papers and relieve me!" I say, smiling faintly. but …
"But master, we don't know to write."
"GODDAMNIT!!"
…
After teaching them how to write, or rather, how to sign, I finally heave a sigh of relief. Dismissing them, I finally face Pef and Moose who are, apparently, dozing off.
"So, how good are these boys? Can they make into fine Cultivators?" I ask.
Moose gives a 'meh' face and dodges the subject while Pef opened one eye and asks me in a queer tone, "Weren't you more interested in making them slaves?"
I nod my head and reply, "Yea… I am but no hurry there, guys. We can take it slow, you know. And who knows, maybe we won't even need to get them enslaved so badly but … whatever."
"I agree with Jed." Mutters Moose, "Using the technique won't be quite pleasant on anyone. We don't want a heretic army or something, okay! And, did I forget to mention that there is a 50-50 chances of the technique failing and the subject turning permanently braindead."
"Yes, and I want to avoid it." I reply, frowning. "These guys are the first batch that I'm training and quite obviously, I'm going to pour most of my future resources on them to make them grow faster. They will be the pillars of my army and I don't want to lose them so easily. Therefore, until and unless, I get a 90% success rate on the Angel Puppet Technique, I'm not going to make them go through."
"That's impossible!" mutters Moose. "90% success rate for the Angel Puppet Technique is a pipedream! It is theoretically not possible until and unless you're the God Himself!!"
"And it is more impossible for you to create an army. More like, creating a sect."
"I don't want to create a sect!" I refute, "I want an army! It's way more cool!"
"Whatever. Anyway, are you ready to go to the Black Market?" Pef asks, smiling evilly. Even Moose sits up, excited. I smile broadly, ear to ear and say, "I'm always ready!"
"Very well, let's roll out, Team Evil!!"
…
Last night, we had a little plan of what our future path will look like and the boys accepting me as their master, which I already was since I branded their Souls, was the first part of that plan. Second phase, get ourselves some money. Some hefty money. And for that purpose, we headed towards the bar named Chupacabra.
Yes, that is the name of a bat-like vampiric monster but yes, it is also the name of the 19th most famous bar in Valshade City and also the bar which was unlucky enough to be hit by Pef. Yes, you guessed it correct, the bartender of this bar, and also, it's owner, is the one who mysteriously 'vanished' after handing his extremely profitable business of 3 Golds (daily) to a person named Valac Vorshevsky, a.k.a, me.
We hit the pub at approximately 6'o'clock and was pretty surprised to find it completely filled to the brim with people, hitting large glasses of vodka, beer, some cheap rice alcohol or other eastern drinks and chugging them down their throats. The bartender has changed into a beautiful middle-aged woman from the previously, devious-looking old man and that definitely must've been the reason for the sudden increase. Perhaps.
She is Lin Yunru, someone we recruited yesterday to serve as the bartender and along with her, we also hired some other young people (who also just happens to be her family members) to serve as waiters and sorts. Making Chupacabra, unofficially, a family business.
I sit down in one of the empty 4-man table with (invisible) Moose on my shoulder and (invisible) Pef hiding somewhere under or Gods-knows-where, and beckon at Yunru. She nods her head and immediately approaches me.
"What might I do for you, dear Sir?" she asks in her sweet voice.
"Just get me the best and put in my tabs. Also, act normal." I whisper the last part. She smiles knowingly and replies, "Understood, Sir."
A minute or so later, I'm given a large glass, as large as an infant's arm, filled with a purple wine. This is this shop's best wine, the Chupacabra wine, a fabulous and dangerous mix of alcoholic beverages, grapes, fruits, apples and bat-piss. Lol! Just kidding! I don't know a sh*t about what's in there and I don't intend to know it too. As longs as Yunru knows it, it's all right!
'Order something for us too!' Moose talks to me telepathically.
'Yea and what? Nuts to crack or a large bottle of vodka! Give all the people here a show how my shoulder chugs down bottle after bottle of vodkas and crack nuts?! Seriously!!' I criticize him and turn towards my beer glass. Frankly, after becoming an undead, my taste buds have gone bland and I've not experienced anything good, except wine. Somehow, even in undeath, I can taste the sweet flavor of wine and beer, even though it's a tenth of what it should taste like or what others show and definitely without all the tipsy-pipsy effects. Bless undeath!
Soon, 6 became 7 and then 8 and only then, my contact came.
Tttrriiinng!
The door of the pub was opened by a scrawny looking man. He looked like a destitute with hollow eyes and tattered clothes and desperately looked around for someone. His cheeks were sunken and he looked like he didn't have anything for a few days.
"Oi!" I lightly beckon him. He immediately dashes towards my position and sits himself across me. Hopefully, he didn't sit on Pef or something.
"G-g-good evening, Sir." The man smiled through his weirdly-paced teeth and clasped his hands in gratitude.
"What's the word around the street, Duyi?"
"T-t-the streets are quiet, Sir. They are anticipating your next move." He replies, rubbing his hands together in a meaningful way.
'Sigh… humans…' sighs Moose on my shoulder. Even I sigh inside my mind. Taking out a small Silver Coin, I throw it towards Duyi. "Here, take it."
"Thank you very much, Sir. Thank you."
"So, now tell me, what is the word around the street?" I ask him, again.
"Sir, the streets are quiet but there is a slight murmur among the Zhou group. They are furious at you because apparently, the previous owner of the Chupacabra winery had agreed to sell his winery at a dirt low price to them. This was supposed to happen in a couple of weeks but with you, it is completely null and void and thus, they are quite angry at you."
I grin inside, evilly. "Are they really mad?" I ask.
"Very."
"And they are a part of the Black Market, I guess."
"Well, yes, Sir, they are. The Zhou group has been operating in the stolen merchandise business for ages. They are pretty big in the Black Market."
"And is he rich?" I ask.
"Of course! If not, how can he be in the Black Market!" replies Duyi in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Good!" I smile broadly, "Let's go and visit them."
"What?! Are you kidding?!!" he asks, shocked but I pat his shoulder hard and show him a small pouch hidden within my vest.
"Is it…"
"Yes, your pay. After you take me to Zhou."
"Of course! Of course! Right away!" he declares and stands up.
…
Duyi takes me and (invisible) Pef and Moose to one of the entrances of the Black Market. The Valshade City is a pretty big City with a lot of alleyways and hiding places and we're going through one of them right now. Passing one homeless man after another, we finally reach a large black, metal door.
Thug! Thug!
Sliiit!!
"Who's there?!" a rectangular slit opens up and from within, comes a gruff voice, possibly from a middle-aged guard.
"I-it's me, Duyi! I've some important news for the masters!"
"Tell it to me! I'll convey it." he replies.
"You don't understand—"
"Shove it!" I interject. Pulling Duyi back, I push my face right next to the slit, shocking the guard quite a bit.
"Who the f*ck are ya?!!!" he growls at me.
I smile lightly and reply, coldly, "That's exactly what I want to tell you, dumbo! Now, go back to your pussy masters and tell them that Vorshevsky is here. Valac Vorshevsky, don't forget the name!" I smile evilly at him.
"W-what did ya say! Y-you're V-Vorshevsky!!"
"Yes, I am. Vorshevsky, the owner of the Chupacabra winery."
...