As expected, one of the teleporting visitors was Marzia Martino.
The sixteen years old Italian was 6"1' with short reddish-brown hair and eyes of the same color—likely because of the system's changes when ranking her up or increasing her stats. She wore tight light brown pants, an equally tight white T-shirt, a black jacket, and knee-high black leather boots.
Their design was a bit off compared to everything he had seen on Earth, but it took Shen an instant to put his finger on it. The T-shirt and pants had no sewing at all, and their edges were smoother than should be possible on non-magic clothing.
He was also surprised to feel seventy-six throwing knives and four thin metal plates hidden underneath her clothes. Her jacket had eight minor cuts from where he guessed eight other knives had gone through, though the T-shirt didn't; it had properly magically repaired itself.
She was clearly prepared for battle. Shen turned to check on the other three.
The German Karl Schneider was in his late twenties. He wore plate armor and yielded a short sword and round shield, all medieval-looking. Such mundaneness was strange for E+ equipment, so Shen assumed it was on purpose. He had short blond hair and blue eyes and was unnaturally buffy and tall; he was 7"7', and his plate armor barely contained his muscles.
He was the same as he had been in the tutorial.
The Japanese Yui Hina was in her late teens and looked the polar opposite of Schneider. She was five feet tall, lithe, with short black hair and black eyes. She wore a short black miniskirt and a tight white jacket that barely showed the skin-tight black and white checkered bodysuit underneath. She walked on high heel sandals, one white and the other black.
Hina had been one of the leaders in the war council. Back then, she had worn some sort of fantasy mage robe. It seemed she had changed her style, but she still lacked any gear and focused solely on magic.
And the Italian Lorenzo Russo, another sixteen-year-old who had been in Marzia's group during the tutorial, was 5"9', with long brown hair in a ponytail and black eyes. He wore brown leather armor from neck to toe, and a gray metal helmet hid his head—though Shen could still feel it with his aura. He was holding two short black swords, both blooded.
The armor was new, but the rest was the same as in the tutorial.
Marzia first looked scared of Shen; then, her eyes widened in greater fear. She quickly turned and checked her surroundings. After a glance at her companions, she relaxed a little, though his aura prevented her from getting comfortable.
She didn't complain or react poorly to it though. Quite the opposite.
Marzia gritted her teeth, turned to Shen, and cupped her fists in front of her in the usual cultivator greeting.
"In the tutorial, I said some of us wanted to join you," she said with a slightly trembling voice because of his aura. "You had us give you our contact information, but you haven't said anything about it after returning to Earth. I haven't changed my mind. Please, take me in as your subordinate." She bowed low.
Shen had expected many things to happen when he finally met Marzia. Most of his predictions involved an attack, ranging from a desperate strike fueled by a spike of anger to a meticulously prepared ambush. The most likely event, in his opinion, had been attempts at manipulating him. He had even considered the possibility of her killing herself and having a way to blame it on him just to set public opinion against him.
Yet, he had definitely not expected her to ask to join his clan.
Marzia was Earth's de-facto empress; she had a lot of power. Why would she give up on some of that freedom?
She was also the daughter of a man Shen had killed. Why would she bow to her father's killer?
The most obvious answer was "protection." Shen was Earth's strongest warrior, and he would protect his people whenever and wherever he could. Of course, he wouldn't become everyone's bodyguard, but he would at the very least avenge them, and that would stop any but the most desperate would-be assassins.
Modern Earth knew the power of nuclear deterrence well, and though unwillingly, Shen had proven he could do as much damage as a nuclear weapon if given the time.
An urgent need for protection also explained why she had talked about joining him as soon as she arrived. The camp was full of Guardians that could be either ominous threats or great guards, and their numbers would only increase after the Call to Arms. Bowing to him was the easiest way to secure a safe place. Shen was the place's highest authority and strongest warrior.
He also agreed that determining her place in the camp as soon as possible was paramount to avoid issues, so he would consider it before moving on.
But he suspected Marzia had something more nefarious in mind than merely using his clan to protect herself.
To begin with, did she have to come here? He was confident she might've teleported elsewhere, so at least part of the urgency in talking about joining his clan was fabricated. She had even enacted the Call to Arms before arriving. What did she have to gain from joining him?
The answer was obvious. By joining his clan, she would have easier access to him. She might believe that would allow her to manipulate him somehow. Marzia had proven to be a skilled politician, and Shen only had his auras' detection ability and his learning ability to help him on that front.
A desire to manipulate him would explain a lot if he weren't identifying only sincerity and anticipation coming from her. That's what confused him the most. Then again, the politician in her might be skilled in hiding her true intentions, even from his aura.
"Why?" he finally asked. That was the easiest way to find out the answer.
Suddenly, Shen felt a small rocket projectile enter his aura and absent-mindedly squashed it. He also kept the explosion contained in a one-yard wide ball. At the same time, he raised a fist-sized stone from the ground and shot it faster than a bullet in the direction the projectile had come from.
Shen didn't use qi for any of that.
He didn't see it but heard the stone hitting flesh, and a sharp—and very brief—cry of pain from the commoner who had pulled the trigger. The rocket-launcher-wielding idiot had thought they were safe just because they were beyond Shen's aura range.
The three Pioneers with Marzia looked surprised at the quickly resolved action, but she kept her eyes fixed on his.
"Because this is the best for me," Marzia replied firmly to his question. "What do I lose by joining your clan? Maybe some freedom. What do I gain? A lot." Shen gestured for her to explain better. "Personal and political power are closely tied together in this new world. You already have both," she gestured at everything around her. "Whoever joins you first will have the opportunity to grow in your organization before anyone else and will get the chance to reap better rewards in the future. Also, if I found a different organization, sooner or later, we would be at odds, and I would rather not have that happen. I might grow strong over time, but Maidens run a marathon while Rising Stars sprint to the top. And on top of it all, I want you to keep being the Human Rising Star. You're honorable and just. I would rather not chance a worse person taking up on that mantle."
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
Shen stared at her while thinking about Marzia's words. She had enumerated many goals that could be achieved in other ways, but when she mixed everything together, it left two optimal paths in the long term: joining him or having him join her. He would definitely not subordinate himself to her, so she was going with the alternative.
Well, she could also sell Earth to a powerful and unreliable alien in the hopes of them letting her keep some power, but she seemed more intelligent than that.
His aura couldn't detect any falsehoods in her words, posture, heart rate, breathing, pupils, or micro-expressions, yet he still wondered if there wasn't more to it.
"Honorable and just, is it?" he asked. "I killed a lot of innocents and blamed it on someone else. It could be a ruse."
Marzia looked defensive and uncomfortable for the first time. "I have my reasons for believing in you. I'm willing to explain it to you alone as an offer to join your clan. You won't regret having the Human Maiden working for you, that I can promise you. Of course, I expect extra protection in exchange, more than what you give to Sai."
Secrets. As the Human Maiden, she certainly knew and could do a lot more with the system than any of them imagined. Offering some of that to Shen was good bait. Going forward, his clan would need more things than he alone could provide, and system help wouldn't hurt, even if it was just access to the privileged information she had hinted at.
He used her unexpected discomfort to test something else. A delicate matter. He didn't like to do it, but he felt he needed to.
"I killed your father," he said bluntly and made a tiny pause.
Marzia's learning ability wasn't up to par with his, but it was also high. She understood his words faster than a mortal would and reacted much quicker.
She became furious.
More than anything, that natural reaction told him that even if she was controlling the feelings she showed him, she wasn't flawless. That was important to know—unless, of course, she was faking it. But if he kept second-guessing himself and his abilities, he would never get anywhere.
With that out of the way, he added more softly. "I apologize for the pain I caused you." He cupped his fists before his body and bowed slightly.
Surprisingly, Marzia's face became even more furious. "The only pain you caused me was not letting me kill the bastard myself." The metal knives in her body trembled softly as if begging for release but incapable of finding a fitting target.
There was a story there, but Shen wouldn't pry. It did explain some things though.
In the end, he sighed and relented.
Many people would join his clan with hidden agendas, and observing things over time was the only way of rooting them out before he developed an information network. And when even the network failed him, only the power of his faction in the clan would determine who won.
"We'll have to discuss in private exactly what you're willing to give the clan," he said at last. "But before that, I want to test your abilities on a specific job. If you perform well, I'll have greater reason to let you join me."
"Thank you," she said quickly. "I'll do whatever you have me do; I trust your judgment."
That was an excellent speech—and a very political one. Marzia sounded sincere enough, but Shen felt something else from her with his aura for the first time. She would do whatever he asked of her, but she wouldn't be happy if it wasn't something she saw in a positive light.
Fortunately, that political talent was closely tied to his following request.
"I need someone to work on public relations for me," he said. "Taking you in won't do my clan any favors. I'll have you deal with that for me."
If she was bad at that and his or his clan's image worsened further, the price for her joining would increase. It was a win-win situation for him.
Politicians were shady but good speakers—and speakers had their uses in the Eternal Empire. The truth mattered more than anything, but no one would know about it if no one was around to reveal it.
Marzia smiled brightly. "That sounds perfect."
"Don't ever twist the truth," he warned. "The clan's honor is more important than being seen positively. Don't ever lie to appease the masses."
"Yes, sir," she said half-jokingly. "Your clan is called Feng Clan, correct?" she asked. He nodded, and she said, "I declare the Feng Clan a lawful geopolitical entity and give it full access to the tax system."
Geopolitical Entity Officialized
Your organization, the Feng Clan, has been recognized as a legitimate geographical entity.
Tax Subsystem Access Granted
Your organization, the Feng Clan, can now use the tax subsystem to tax its members.
Only Standard Coins can be taxed through the tax subsystem, up to a set maximum depending on your access.
Your clan received full access. The limit was set to 50%.
Shen looked at Marzia expressionlessly. "You didn't need to do that."
She gave her a pesky smile. "I didn't know I had lost my agency when I joined the clan."
"Fair enough," he conceded.
"However," she interjected before he could keep talking, "having the Feng Clan be an official geopolitical entity with access to the tax system—the first one on Earth at both—will be great for my PR efforts. I'll need someone I trust to test the waters and gather information on the camp for me; can I have Schneider also be in this examination with me? Oh, and Russo would be a great errand boy for things I need done elsewhere. Hina is a terrific designer. She's more into fashion, as you can see, but it would be great to have someone who knows their deal help with the clan's corporate identity. We'll pass it through you before officializing anything, of course."
Shen was impressed with her work efficiency—and annoyed. "You planned for this," he told Marzia while looking very pointedly at Hina. That explained the missing mage uniform.
The Japanese girl smiled knowingly and winked at Shen. "She got you, Big Mama," she said with the head tilted towards Marzia.
"Stop calling me that!" Marzia complained and rolled her eyes. "I did plan for it," she admitted. "I was also supposed to have a tough-looking bodyguard, but he retired early." She glanced at Russo's now cleaned and sheathed blades. "I'm good at what I do, Shen, and I have your best interest at heart because it aligns with my very survival. You might not believe my words, but I'll prove it to you with my actions. Please, allow us to show you that."
He looked at the three Pioneers. "You all want to join my clan?"
"Not really," Schneider replied, "but I'll follow Marzia's lead."
"Same here," Russo agreed.
"I do, Feng-sama," Hina said with a sweet smile, holding her hands cutely in front of her body. "I like beauty and status. I'll make your clan beautiful, and it'll give me status. Win-win!" she half-yelled the last sentence and made a V with her fingers while winking an eye and putting the tip of her tongue between her smiling teeth.
"They don't have anything remotely close to the right attitude to be accepted in my clan," Shen said. "They will be considered hired outside help. Their success or failure will be yours because it's up to you to find the right people for whatever job you're doing."
"You meanie!" Hina pouted.
Marzia rolled her eyes again. "Fair enough," she repeated his earlier words back to him.
"That settles it," he concluded. "Now, I must protect you, but I also have other matters to attend to. Come with me and—"
"Wait," Ningsih said while stepping up, then put a knee to the ground. "Please, take me in! I want to join the Feng Clan, too!"
All Guardians nearby were surprised at first, then about half were quick to follow her lead and put a knee to the ground—some put both. "I want in!" "Me too!" "Please, I'll do anything!"
Shen kept a poker face not to reveal any weaknesses, but he was not pleased with random people approaching him like that.
Such a situation was impolite at best and often very offensive. Joining a clan was a serious commitment, usually for life. Even the head of a tiny and inconsequential clan shouldn't be approached as if they were the leader of some shady sect who would take anyone in for their nefarious purposes.
Marzia's request was only barely polite because she had high status, they had met each other, and they had a bloody history together—he had killed her father. The other three had been disrespectful, but he had asked them if they wanted to join, so they didn't owe him anything.
But the other Guardians...
Shen suppressed a sigh. They didn't know the proper etiquette or the meaning of what they were asking. They weren't actually offending him.
He raised a hand for them to stop begging, then said, "I appreciate the willingness to join my organization, but I'm currently only considering Guardians with Achievements."
In other words, only Pioneers or exceptional people who had received another Achievement somehow. The Feng Clan didn't take just anyone, and he didn't have the time to set up proper testing grounds to assess their potential.
"Ningsih," he continued, "I'll make a declaration about joining my clan at the general meeting tomorrow. If you don't change your mind by then, the eagerness you've shown today will do you credit. All except Marzia are dismissed." He turned to her. "Now, come and stay close to me."
Finally, he headed towards the blue tent to deal with the bureaucratic mess that had allowed Sai's mother somewhere she shouldn't be.