"What do you mean?" asked Baixue, intrigued by his proposal. Her keen instincts told her that there was something deeper at play here.
Taking a deep breath, Wuzhi explained. "Sister Baixue, you must forgive me. I haven't been entirely truthful about my purpose. I am not a merchant seeking to build a generous fortune but an envoy of the South Aislan Empire. I was tasked with the duty of bringing over the Neutral faction to our side. It is for this purpose that I'm heading to Port Éclair."
Baixue's eyes widened and her breath quickened at this reveal. Her heart began to thump with excitement. It had been three whole months since her arrival in the South Aislan Continent and she had yet to involve herself in any incident that was impactful enough to be considered a major achievement. For all her talents, Baixue was not a social person. This further increased her difficulty in participating in pivotal events.
That said, her meeting with Wuzhi was a chance encounter. Baixue quickly believed this was an opportunity the heavens had bestowed upon her. To deny would be foolish.
She repeatedly breathed to calm her pounding heart. She then asked, "What would you have me do?"
At that question, Wuzhi understood that she was considering his proposal positively. Without holding anything back, he explained. "Sister Baixue, as you can see, I'm merely a weak, frail-bodied scholar. Port Éclair is a den of wolves and to enter it with my current strength would be the height of folly. Also, the men that I've brought," he gestured toward the Hielanders warriors, "do not exactly have a good reputation in this continent."
"My request to you is this; protect me during my stay at the Port City of Éclair."
Baixue quickly understood his request; it was bodyguard duty. She then lowered her head and deeply thought about his proposal.
"For how long will this employment be?" asked Baixue.
"For as long as the negotiations take," replied Wuzhi. "Though, if I had to guess, two weeks."
"How will be arrangement be?"
"You will stay beside me at all times except when I say otherwise. You will accompany me wherever I go, test my food and water for poison, and guard me against any assassinations and/or ambushes. My men here might not always be there for their identities are sensitive; therefore, the pressure on you will be much higher."
"Do you think you will be targeted for assassinations?"
"I can't say that I will be for certain; however, I won't be very well-liked either." He knew that the negotiations wouldn't be easy and that he would most likely be stonewalled at every corner. Therefore, to smoothen the process, Wuzhi had taken a few 'measures' that would put him at great risk.
Originally, he had been counting upon the Hielander warriors and Heaven's Protection to stave off these dangers. However, upon a coincident meeting with Baixue, Wuzhi decided to recruit her to serve as an additional lifeguard. It reminded him of a saving that his teacher used to quote, 'One can never be too safe.'
Baixue considered his proposal deeply. Only after an hour had passed did she raise her head and reply, "I will accept this employment."
While her face held a calm expression, Baixue was inwardly excited at the prospect of finally becoming involved in an important event. She was resolved to leave a mark in history with this event.
Wuzhi smiled and thanked her for her acceptance. Quietly, he began redrafting his plans for the Port City of Éclair.
---
Another four days passed. Baixue accompanied Wuzhi in the carriage as his new bodyguard.
The overarching plan to gain the neutral faction's support in the war for unification had not changed. However, with the addition of the female heroine to his party, the young scholar made some changes to his arrangements.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Firstly, he had the convoy separate and instructed the nine other carriages, each accompanied by a group of Hielanders, to head in different directions. The groups were prohibited from interacting with each other; their routes and destinations were known only to Wuzhi. It took two days for this process to end and by the morning of the third day, there were only Wuzhi, Baixue, and two Hielander warriors. The rest of the convoy had dispersed according to his instructions.
The second change that Wuzhi made was the intentional delaying of their arrival. Thus, their arrival at the Port City of Éclair had been delayed by three more days. Baixue was curious about the young scholar's decision but the latter refused to explain, only giving her a mysterious smile in reply.
After nearly twenty days since their departure from Lorden City, Wuzhi finally arrived at Port Éclair.
Port Éclair was a massive city and one of the only three harbour cities in the South Aislan Continent. This city was singlehandedly responsible for nearly a third of all imports and half of all exports within the continent. It was also home to the largest shipyard in the whole of the continent. Nearly two thousand individual sea vessels daily docked and undocked in this city.
On the whole, the city was separated into two districts; the Western District, home to the ports, sailors, factories and taverns, and the Eastern District, which housed the bazaars, trading companies, and the wealthy. The existence of wealth inequality within these two districts also meant that the general conditions and living conditions in these two districts were distinctly stark.
The Eastern District was clean with paved roads, sidewalks, lampposts, beautiful buildings made out of bricks, parks, and many other amenities that were straight out of the richest cities of the world. The population here was also civilized.
The Western District, on the other hand, was the very definition of misery and squalor. The off-putting scent of fish and rot hung in the air; beggars and out-of-work sailors crowded the roads; the streets were narrow and filled with garbage; pickpockets, thieves, and conmen roamed the back alleys; and most buildings were wooden, temporary, poorly built structures.
There were also the factories, hulking cement constructs that spewed smoke and foul-smelling air 24x7. The workers for these factories changed daily as the horrible working environment of said factories meant that most workers contracted perennial sickness after a mere week's worth of shifts. Unfortunately, the absence of any other form of stable work meant that workers often willingly threw themselves into these giant death houses all for the sake of the same day's meal.
Simply put, the Western District was a huge pit of misery and despair while the Eastern District was a haven for the wealthy. Even so, the Port City of Éclair saw a daily influx of new arrivals. Most of these people came to the continent in search of opportunities, unknowing that a majority of them would be doomed to misery in the Western District.
With a single carriage, two Hielander Warriors, and Baixue in his company, Wuzhi entered the city. Having been here once before, he familiarly navigated the roads and arrived at the Eastern District. There, he approached the grandest-looking hotel to rent a room for his stay in the city.
Accompanied by the cloak-wearing Baixue, Wuzhi walked up to the receptionist with confident steps and asked, "Hello there! I would like to rent two rooms, preferably adjacent, for a week or more in this fine establishment."
A single glimpse at the young scholar's clean-looking clothes and relaxed smile informed the receptionist of all that he wanted to know. Wearing the brightest smile that he could muster, he answered. "I would first like to extend a hand in welcoming noble guests to our establishment. As you might have heard, our hotel is reputed for…" He began spewing a lot of meaningless information and flattery.
Unable to bear it any longer, Baixue tapped the receptionist's table with Energy and coldly said. "Two rooms. Adjacent."
Seeing a part of the mahogany table instantly freeze at her mere touch, the receptionist had the fright of his life. His face instantly paled and cold sweat appeared to wet his back. "M-master! P-p-please, fo-forgive this humble mortal f-for his s-sins!"
With a shaky hand, he then perused the book in front of him and continued with a tremble. "A-at th-this time, w-we do n-not have t-two ro-rooms. P-please, f-forgive me!" He started crying.
Seeing a grown man cry, Baixue was honestly lost on how to continue. She had never intended to scare the man to the point of shedding tears but merely wanted him to hurry up a little. Feeling flustered, she turned to look at Wuzhi.
Wuzhi looked back with a smile on his face. He was enjoying; watching this funny interaction between the two parties. After feeling Baixue's gaze on him, he coughed and politely asked, "Do you have a one-room then?"
The crying man instantly nodded his head. "Y-yes!"
Wuzhi turned toward Baixue and asked, "Are you fine with sharing a room with me?"
The female heroine pondered for a moment before curtly nodding her head. "Sure." She figured that this would make it easier for her to protect her employer.
"It's settled then! Please show us to our room," Wuzhi clapped and smiled.
And thus, lodging in Port Éclair had been secured.