Right now, Kai was walking calmly on his way to a city called Marin. It was the main city of the region, and the Mansion of Lord Flick, who ruled these lands, was located there.
He had learned about this path in one of the border towns. It wasn't hard to find out, as there was a road leading from each town to the center of Lord Flick's domain, Marin City. In the border town, he also bought new clothes, as the ones Master Mo had given him after the fierce battle looked like rags, and the store thought he was homeless at first, until he showed a bag of money.
Now he was walking in black clothes, similar to his previous ones, but it was obvious that in terms of quality of fabric and refinement, they were much worse... Loose pants that were tied with black cloth from knee to ankle, and a black linen shirt with a large neckline on the chest was developing in the wind. He was also wearing a long black cloak that looked like a cape, and hanging from his belt was a small gourd flask, shaped like an infinity sign, like a circle tugged in the middle. There was wine in the flask, as Kai really liked the taste of it.
Slowly walking by the road he enjoyed the nature and the light breeze, the sun shining pleasantly on his face. Smiling he thought about his next plans... He wanted to visit Lord Flick and quickly dispose of him, and then he would have to decide what to do.
He had made a promise to Master Mo that he would join the Shadow Sect when he reached the Cloud Sphere, but he didn't even know where the sect was or how long it would take him to reach the next stage of cultivation. He recalled that he had once thought of becoming some sort of mercenary as a child to earn money for the orphanage. Should he stick to that plan now? As a mercenary, he would definitely be able to participate in various battles and dangerous situations.
Although the Shadow Sect did not allow global wars between controlled empires, but localized squabbles over some territories, or wars between Lords, were too insignificant for their attention. Kai didn't know the strength of the Shadow Sect, but from Old Man Mo's stories, he roughly understood that if he wanted to, they could raze the Moonlight Shine Empire to the ground in a matter of days. Thinking about this, he looked at the road, and was surprised that quite a few people and carriages had traveled the same route with him over the days.
When he saw another carriage and a few attendants approaching him from behind, he slowed his pace a bit to slowly match them. As they got closer, Kai suddenly folded his palm and fist near his chest and leaned in slightly and said:
- Gentlemen, I apologize for the inconvenience, but could you please enlighten me? His voice sounded respectful.
The carriage was made of mahogany with beautiful carvings, it was pulled by 2 horses and there were 4 men standing around the carriage in the corners. Kai immediately determined that they were all at the Cultivator stages, that was why he was so courteous, he didn't want to find trouble on his ass. The man standing closest to Kai frowned at first and wanted to push him away. But then he felt that the guy in front of him was also a Cultivator, it was surprising. He became more serious and answered:
- What did you want to know? I hope I can help you. - With a slight smile, the man replied.
- I'm on my way to the city of Marin, and I noticed that there are a lot of people on the road, and luxurious carriages like yours are not uncommon. It seems to me that it is not very typical for such a wilderness, what is going on here?
Bam! Suddenly the door of the carriage opened with a bang and a fat boy of about 15 years old jumped out of the carriage, when his feet touched the ground, his whole body shook with fat. He was dressed in luxurious blue robes, he smilingly walked briskly towards Kai. This made Kai tense up a little, for sweat was dripping down the fat man's body and glistening in the sun, and he didn't really want to stand close to this fat meatball. But what surprised Kai was that the fat man was at peak Warrior, which was pretty good for his age.
At this moment, Kai's hand was grabbed by this fatty and smiling broadly proudly said:
- Brother, my name is Diso! I'm the only son of the head of the Western Trade Union! - He proudly declared.
- Let me enlighten you! We are all on our way to Lord Flick's domain, for there is a rumor that an important official is about to arrive from the capital of our Moon Shine Empire! Now all the nobles and warriors are traveling to Marin to try their luck and leave a good impression of themselves. It is said that this official should also be related to the military, and you know who is most valued in this world! - Tirelessly said the fat man. It seemed that he was very much enjoying his vanity and being a teacher for someone to explain how things were.
Laughing, the fat man continued to squeeze and wave Kai's hand and asked:
- Brother, what's your name then? Do you want to try your luck too? If you try your best, you might even get some privileges for yourself. - The fat guy said with a smile, as if he liked to talk.
- Brother Diso, my name is Kai, and I don't think you should be too attentive to me. I'm just a commoner, so... - Kai had already heard everything he wanted to know, and now he was trying to get rid of the fat man. In this world, the nobles usually wouldn't even look at commoners, to them they were like dirty cattle. Kai expected the fat man to immediately back away with disdain.
- Ha ha, so that means Brother Kai! Don't worry, I'm not some arrogant daddy's asshole with a silver spoon in his mouth. My great-grandfather was once a commoner too, but look at my family now! Never underestimate the common people! - The fatty proudly declared.
"And he's not such a bad guy." - Kai thought and started to look at this Diso from a slightly different perspective.
- A commoner then? I've never seen a commoner at the beginning stage of a Cultivator at this age. - Laughing snidely, the warrior that was standing near them intervened as if exposing Kai. The warrior was glad that his Young Master, reacted correctly this time and treated this guy with respect.
- Hehehe, I just started cultivating back in my mother's womb. - Scratching the back of his head, Kai joked.
- So Brother Kai is already a Cultivator! Just amazing, and you almost had me fooled brother! Hahaha. - The fat man laughed, "You must be from some noble family, or maybe you're from some Clan?
In addition to empires, there were separate territories that belonged to Clans. They were reclusive families that rarely left their territories, and cultivated their family techniques without revealing them to the world. Sometimes, individual Clans could have strength greater than the entire Imperial Capital, no one dared to provoke them.
- Brother Diso, I'm a fairly honest and straightforward person, there's no need for me to lie. I am indeed an ordinary commoner with no lineage, I grew up in a rural orphanage. - Simple-mindedly and calmly replied Kai.
- Brother, you are a genius then! When they hear about you, they'll want you in their ranks immediately! Your main advantage is that you are not bound to any power, so you can easily join any family! - The fat man told him honestly.
- Brother, if you want to join the Western Trade Union, just say the word! - Laughing said the fat man and expected Kai's response.
- Thank you, but I prefer freedom and be loyal only to myself. - Apologizing, Kai refused.
- Well, no, then no. Brother you are also going to Marin, let's ride with me in the carriage, it's more comfortable than walking in the sun, it's already lunchtime. - The fat man quickly and skillfully changed the subject, but tried to get to know each other better. Strong allies or just good friends are always needed. One could tell at once that the descendant of a family of merchants knows how to do business.
- And why not, ha ha. - Saying that, the two boys headed towards the red carriage. Kai decided that it would be more convenient to go to Marin with someone who understood the situation and had connections. Rather than having to go through the long and arduous process of finding out everything on his own. Access to quality information would help resolve his affairs in Lord Flick's city faster.
"The causelessness of Luck, there is a second law. It is impossible to grasp the causes and effects of the manifestations of the universe, as if everything is decided by a roll of a dice with an infinity of faces, giving birth to the most incredible patterns." - Kai said in his head.
Maybe this would be the chance encounter that would adjust his plans a bit, maybe the fat man would even give him options for his future.