The next few days were filled with hustle-bustle within the imperial palace. Meetings were held, advisors and servants rushed back and forth; generals were called to discuss strategy… the preparations for the siege of New Hope Port City proceeded smoothly.

While the entire empire seemed to be under the atmosphere of war, the pair of student and teacher, Alexandros and Wuzhi, seemed strangely unaffected by it. The pair stuck to their daily schedules as usual and played no active part in the preparations.

However, that changed today; Lord Regent Rodriguez Centinni appeared within the emperor's study to claim a request from his dear nephew.

"You want Us to march for New Hope Port City," the boy emperor asked dryly. Hidden behind his stoic mask were expressions of pain, bitterness, and unwillingness.

Rodriguez smiled bitterly at his question. "My boy, it pains me more to ask this request of you. However, I need you, nay, the empire needs you to march for New Hope Port City to prove justification for war and for it to claim the city."

Alexandros' face paled at this reasoning. Bitter memories floated up to the surface of his mind causing him to avert his eyes and clench his fists.

"The last time, We were in that city, We watched our father be murdered at the hands of ungrateful traitors." The young emperor spoke slowly. "We Ourselves, desperately struggled to survive and barely managed to make it back to safety from that hell-hole."

"And now," Alexandros raised his eyes, red and hatred-filled, to level with his uncle. "You want Us to go back there?"

"Alexandros," Rodriguez sighed bitterly. "Believe me when I say that I want nothing more than for you to live a blissful, carefree life. There is nothing that I wish for more, than for you to return to your past self. I assure you; this will be the last—"

"Stop," Alexandros intervened in his uncle's monologue. He then peered into his uncle's surprised eyes with his own, which were as still and quiet as a frozen lake. "We, will march."

Rodriguez was first stunned, but then immediately grew joyous. Clapping his palm on the young emperor's shoulder, he said, "Excellent! Much excellent, my boy! I promise you; the avengement of your Royal Father is not far off!"

"I shall leave you for now and instruct the servants to prepare. You will march tomorrow morning. I will have everything prepared and see that no comfort is denied to you!"

After speaking a few more words of appreciation, Rodriguez hurriedly left. It seemed that he had another meeting to attend as multiple servants had already arrived, urging for his presence.

Left alone within the emperor's study, Alexandros stared blankly into space. The avengement of his father's death was at hand; it had come sooner than Alexandros had expected.

And yet, even with the opportunity right before him, the boy emperor grew unsure. Was it really so simple to right a wrong?

It somehow felt shallow for the boy emperor.

"Just because something arrives when you were least expecting it, does not mean that it arrived untimely." An even voice brought Alexandros out of his musings.

Raising his head, he saw his teacher calmly gazing at him. "Your majesty, there is a saying, 'a bird in hand is worth two in a bush.' With a prime opportunity right before us, why must we hesitate? Is this not the result that you have always wished for?"

"It just feels shallow to me," Alexandros openly spoke of his thoughts.

Hearing that, Wuzhi casually smiled. "On the topic of 'accomplishing a deed,' two polar schools of thought are popular within this world, Your Majesty."

"The first school believes that; 'the means by which a person accomplishes something is more important than the deed itself.'"

"The other school denies the above statement and believes that; 'for as long as the deed is accomplished, what matters of the means?'"

"Now, I ask you this, Your Majesty," Wuzhi levelled a heavy gaze on the boy emperor. "Which school of thought do you believe in? Do you believe in the 'means' or the 'deed'?"

Alexandros did not reply but rather sunk into thought. To be honest, he did not quite know what he believed. He had lived too short a life and experienced too little to form such a mature view of life.

Seeing his ward so deeply in thought, Wuzhi proudly smiled. He then chuckled to break the boy emperor from his delusion and said, "Your majesty need not answer this servant now. Please, go on this journey and give me a reply once your majesty comes back."

Alexandros shook at his statement. Jumping to his feet, he yelled, "You are not going with me!?"

Wuzhi shook his head. "There are times when a mother bird must coldheartedly watch on as the baby bird falls from failing to fly. This is one such time, Your Majesty."

"Wuzhi will always remain your faithful servant. However, it is time for Your Majesty to learn how to walk." In an even voice that bordered on coldness, Wuzhi declared. "Wuzhi is your majesty's pillar; not your majesty's crutches."

The room fell quiet when the declaration ended. Thus, it had been decided.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Alexandros shall march along with an army of thirty-thousand as they lay siege to the New Hope Port City. The enemy, who will be lulled into thinking that their arrival is for the negotiation of the transfer of the late emperor's body, will be startled at the sudden siege that will be laid with the use of the newly-purchased weaponry; one that they hadn't been expecting.

This was Rodriguez's scheme. Should it go well, the port city would easily fall and the empire would finally manage to heave a sigh of relief. However, should it go poorly, it would mean the boy emperor's death and the empire's demise.

This was the empire's final card. Will it end in fortune or misfortune, remains yet to be seen.

---

Sometime later, in a certain undisclosed location within the imperial palace.

"Sir Wuzhi, a toast!" Luna Roseland, the raven-haired beauty/female merchant, raised the glass of wine in her hand and smilingly toasted the young scholar, who was seated opposite her.

Displaying a polite smile, Wuzhi raised the cup of tea held in his hand and toasted back. Their two glasses clinked, ceramic against the clear glass, before retreating towards their respective mouths.

Taking a sip of the delicious wine with her luscious, pink-coloured lips, Luna smilingly spoke. "This lowly merchant must offer her gratitude for all the aid that Sir Wuzhi has lent me over the past month."

Taking another sip, she continued. "I must confess, had it not been for Sir Wuzhi's assistance, I would not have made half the profits that I did. Please allow me to once again offer you my most sincere gratitude." She then proceeded to bow her head.

"Lady Merchant must be joking," Wuzhi hurriedly replied, bowing in kind. "This Wuzhi only made a few unworthy suggestions here and there. It was the Lady Merchant's ability and talent that netted you your profits."

"Please do not embarrass this poor servant by exposing his paltry abilities." He politely laughed.

"Hahaha, Sir Wuzhi must be joking," Luna laughed in kind. "If such invaluable insight is deemed 'paltry,' then this merchant must confess, I am growing fearful thinking about Sir's actual talents. I believe it to be as high as the heavens!"

"No, no, not at all," Wuzhi shook his wrists. "Wuzhi is but a humble scholar of poor learning. Lady Merchant is mistaken in her praise. Wuzhi is wholly unworthy."

He then levelled a gaze at the smiling, raven-haired beauty and said, "It is, in fact, Lady Merchant's ability that leaves Wuzhi in awe. Such acute grasp over valuable intelligence; Lady Merchant's talents remind Wuzhi of the Heavenly Net of old."

The Heavenly Net was a rumoured ancient Supreme Path Technique of the [Information Path]. It was rumoured that a practitioner cultivating this technique would be able to grasp all news and information under the heavens, and sniff out any truth that is being hidden!

Of course, rumours were simply that. The actual existence of such a technique is heavily doubted.

"The Heavenly Net?" Luna's eyes widened. "Heavens! Sir Wuzhi must have a very active imagination." Shaking her head, she immediately said, "To compare this merchant's inferior ability to such a supreme technique; is akin to comparing the Heavenly Immortal Palace to a dog's dung!"

"This merchant only shared with Sir Wuzhi what little information she was able to dig up here and there. Sir Wuzhi is mistaken in his praise. Luna is entirely unworthy."

"Well, then it would seem that both of us have been mistaken in our judgements," the young scholar slowly stated.

"It would appear so," Luna did not deny and agreed with his words.

The two of them then silently sat, staring at each other with polite smiles hanging on their faces. The amicable silence was only broken by the intermittent sounds of their quiet sipping.

When nearly ten minutes passed in such a manner, Wuzhi finally broke the silence and spoke. "Wuzhi has a request to make of Lady Merchant."

"As long as the price is right, this lowly merchant seldom denies any request," replied Luna. "And of course, since the request is from Sir Wuzhi, I shall without fail offer a nice discount."

"That would be good," Wuzhi lightly smiled. "This servant's purse hasn't been too well in recent times."

"Do not fret, Sir Wuzhi. This merchant only offers her best and truest prices!"

Nodding his head, Wuzhi retrieved a parchment from his coat. He then passed it over to Luna, who immediately scanned its contents with a serious gaze.

After finishing reading through the list, Luna gazed at the young scholar with a pretty smile and asked, "Is that all?"

"That would be it," Wuzhi replied. "May I ask, when I would receive these items?"

"All the items requested by Sir Wuzhi are readily available at hand. Should you want, I can immediately hand them over to you," replied the female merchant.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Wuzhi said, "That would be best."

"May this merchant ask, for what purpose Sir Wuzhi is in need of these items?" Luna naively blinked her doe-like eyes and asked with an innocent tone. "Of course, if Sir Wuzhi believes my question to be improper, then take it as if you've never heard me."

At her query, Wuzhi simply waved his hands and laughed. "Lady Merchant need not fret. This question is harmless."

A peculiar light flashed across Wuzhi's eyes as he answered. "Wuzhi was overcome by a sudden interest in rabbit hunting. These items are to help Wuzhi in his interest."

Objectively speaking, the answer given by Wuzhi did indeed match the list of requested items that he had given her. A spool of barbed wire, a few animal traps, and nets; such items were indeed used for hunting vermin.

But not for a single instant did Luna believe his words. Even if she were to witness the young scholar hunt game with her very own eyes, she would rather believe that she had fallen under some illusion than trust the contents of her sight.

Luna was no innocent, wide-eyed, honest person. She was a snake. Quite the vicious one too. And if there was something that she had ascertained over her past month of investigating and interacting with this young scholar before her, it was that he too was a snake just as terrible and deceitful as her.

Even their polite, appreciative, civility-filled conversation from mere minutes ago proved that he was someone on the same wavelength as her. A black snake that hid under a smiling human exterior.

And despite learning that they were of the same kind, Luna was still filled with abject wariness towards the youth. For she, being a snake, performed her treacherous deeds under the mask of profit. He, on the other hand, did it under the mask of righteousness. Worst yet, he seemed to completely believe and trust his own lies.

Still, Luna was not afraid of him. If she was afraid of uncertainty and risk, she would have never chosen the path of a merchant.

"Rabbit hunting," Luna smiled. "Indeed. There is much joy to be had in hunting rabbits."

"Lady Merchant understands Wuzhi. Actually, birdwatching is quite interesting too," said the young scholar with a smile.

"This lowly merchant will surely take these words into consideration the next time she's looking for a new hobby," finished Luna.

She then summoned a paper and pen from somewhere within her clothes and wrote. "As for the cost… it would cost Sir Wuzhi this much. Is it fine?" She asked, handing over the note upon which she had written down her calculations.

Reading the note, Wuzhi nodded his head. She had indeed quoted him a fair price for his goods and had even given him a discount as promised. "There are no problems with this price. Then." Wuzhi removed a certain rolled parchment from his sleeve.

Offering the parchment to the raven-haired beauty, Wuzhi smilingly asked, "Will this payment suffice?"

What he offered, was the 'Right to Trade.'