Capitolo Terzo: Conquista (15)

Their target location was such a beautiful place- he heard of the many stories behind such a historical background.

A lovely countryside estate, a lovely family...

It almost felt like a great sin, but Wang Jun didn't care. Or rather, he cared for it, just not in a positive manner towards those poor lives caught in the firefight. Not when they represented the one thing he swore to destroy. Order. It would be foolish to outright abandon the simplest form of Order, but that was the subjugation of it through the organization of such a devoted group. Chaos, chaos, chaos. He could already feel the 'Greater One' praising him for his resolve.

A direct attack would have been foolish. Not just because of the 'Odd One' being involved, but also because one of their main enemies in their war to spread anarchy lived there and her powers were... as dangerous as the Odd One. Having served the shadows many times, Wang Jun didn't expect this to be a compelling victory, but something that would settle a sense of dread in the heart of their enemies. Something that would keep them on their toes, looking and failing to understand what was targeting them.

Fear would be the only thing coming from their thinking, and Wang Jun would test their worth and capacities through this test. They were meant to succeed, spectacularly so, and his apprentices were aware of this too. These foes of them- they weren't mortals and they couldn't be bested through mere fire and explosions. And yet they could be hurt emotionally, mentally- the power of one mind... and the weakness of another. It was so simple to find the moral weakness of an enemy and stab it with a sharp and rusty knife.

To see the pain first-hand as it unfolded. Taking a seat by a nearby hill, Jun stared at the beautiful scenery shattered by licks of fire shredding the fields, ruining the harmony, and causing chaos and damnation for some time. He sipped from his cup of tea, his sight showing no genuine surprise when the fire suddenly disappeared from sight. Just as he predicted, the Odd One was keen to show his powers when needed. And it allowed Jun to understand how being too direct may hurt their cause the most.

He finished his tea shortly after, well-aware that staring too long at a scene that was already unraveled in its fullest was not productive. He took his pillow and his now-empty cup, wandering off to the small inn they took over so he could rest and ponder on what to do next. The man that killed his brother was indeed a powerful figure, but his fake ways were going to be his downfall.

That and the love he held towards his family.

----------d-d-d-d--------

Xiong Ambar.

A name that she took with pride ever since she could understand and love the goodness and the kindness of her beloved grandfather. If someone expected an entity such as her to be somewhat omnipotent for her unique 'psychic' powers, then they would be wrong. Ambar didn't even put an effort to affirm such a silly thing, well aware that she might have had limits, and the foresight of this much destruction was... close to non-existent. She did expect danger to come, but not to this degree.

She was tense during the mealtime, a behavior many misinterpreted as a reason to distrust their guests, yet what ensued next as the meal was served to all and everyone was slowly relaxing through lunch was nothing short of... dreadful. The explosion and fire tore into the renewed fields, burning crops which could have been used to satisfy the quotas she wrote down in their ledges. Ambar was rarely irritated, yet she had no restraint to show her displeasure regarding this scenario.

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After calming everyone's nerves, she tried to think of how to organize the firefighting effort... right as Dio just instantly vanished the flames and emptied the large water bucket he had retrieved by one of the men around. The panic subsided and yet the shock before this sudden development kept everyone on the edge. Awe, confusion, dread- Ambar felt none of that as she was just giddy.

She had expected something like that- no, she knew Dio was more than a mere successful businessman. His involvement in her origins by being a messenger of concerns made him relevant beyond anything she could have predicted and she was quite glad that he was there to assist them. Then there was the fact his mind was impossible to read. Same for his wife. Somehow they found a way to 'ward' their thoughts away from external prodding.

Which was entertaining since it left Ambar mostly clueless on how to handle this situation... while also dealing with a challenge to try and understand them. Not only that, but he also aided their farmers to fix the crops, heal the fields, and provided them with specific instructions on a couple of tools that were available at the foreign market of Guangzhou which would help them expand their output.

Ambar stared at him, listened to his words, saw him react and then... felt compelled to approach Hannah, his wife, as she was busy making sure her son was fine while also checking the other kids around.

"Your husband is..."

"Impressive?" She guessed warmly. "I have heard this many times."

She definitely did, the red-haired 'Crest' hummed in agreement at that, surprised that a woman that was just slightly behind her husband in physical strength would be so open to this.

"And you are lucky for having hooked up with him."

"Always felt like that. But I believe he would say the opposite. That he was the one lucky enough to end up with me."

Ah, a romantic? That just made him more intriguing.

"Say... just a question."

"Hmm?"

"Do you two... consider the chance of-"

"I believe I know what you are going to ask and... my husband doesn't entertain any open nature in our relationship. And I will leave it to that."

Many would be confused at that, but Ambar merely nodded. Dio was not interested, but Hannah didn't look ready to give up to that. Maybe not in the next few years or decade but... time was on their side and that was a small hopeful idea to keep in mind if things went for better in the future.

With that in mind, Ambar smoothly had people check for any signs of sabotage. The fire had been caused by someone, not something from the precise spot it originated from. It was too far away from flammable liquids or anything which could have prompted the flames. Plus, the spread was too fast and focused, definitely something a natural fire wouldn't have been able to achieve without some 'assistance'.

Sadly, any trail they found led nowhere. Whoever sabotaged them was doing it just to hurt Dio through them. And that was a deduction the blond came to understand too as he decided to cut the visit short and leave to lessen new chances of attacks. Ambar was a bit surprised by this decision but supported it on the basis that the circumstances demanded it.

Such a shame that she would have to let them be without any of her teasing...

But while Ambar was disappointed by this, she couldn't help but wonder if the family group knew that the little 'pet' their son was tending to was actually close to revealing her true self to them...

Oh my, if they didn't know that was going to be a worthy enough show for a laughter or two~.