Unfortunately for him, as much as it apparently steamed Ren to admit it, he couldn’t decline the Brigadier’s invitation. The one pertaining to the party at least – his political advisor had repeatedly stressed that he was under no obligation to accede to her second offer.

Perhaps, if he had been part of the local power structures, he might have been passed around like a party favor, but as an independent operator of not inconsiderable power he was more or less free to make his own choices.

Which also means that I won’t have to attend any more parties for the immediate future, he thought as he watched Ren’s servants adjust his new clothes. Just this one for the sects to give face and whichever one the Magistrate invites me to.

Which was good. He wasn’t built for politicking. He just wanted to build stuff and generally enjoy his newfound autonomy.

Perhaps I’ll build myself a motorbike after this? Go for a tour around the outskirts of the city? It’s been a while since I just… relaxed.

Certainly his stay in the world thus far had been a far cry from the power fantasy he thought he’d be in for when he arrived.

“It is done, master.” The elderly woman dressing him said as she bowed and backed away in perfect sync with her helpers. “I hope it is to your taste.”

Turning to look at the mirror he found that despite himself, it was.

He looked sharp. No two ways about it. Robes certainly weren’t his thing, but Ren’s tailor seemed to have sensed that on their first meeting. To that end, the outfit he’d been given was a lot more functional than the initial examples of local formalwear that he’d been shown.

It also had a lot more body parts strewn across it, with the thing liberally festooned with furs, skin and scales from the various spirit beasts he’d slain since coming to this world. Of which there were many. None were stronger than that initial wolf he’d saved An from, but they weren’t exactly weak either.

Despite that, the outfit wasn’t ‘busy’. It was, if anything, almost subdued, with each piece of the patchwork of furs and skins blending seamlessly together. The end effect had him looking like some kind of fur clad viking noble.

In his humble opinion, he looked much better than the silk wearing peacocks that he’d seen strutting about the palace three days previous.

And even he could see the statement his outfit was trying to convey.

He wasn’t some delicate flower to be sheltered like the other male cultivators of this world. He was a power unto himself, with a number of battles under his belt already. Admittedly, it was a bit irritating that he needed to make that statement to begin with, but that was just how the local power dynamics worked – where cultivators were concerned at least.

"How do I look?" he asked, turning to where Ren was watching from.

She just continued to stare.

“Ren?”

She was still staring.

“Ren? Is it that-”

“Good.” The dog-woman said suddenly. “It looks good on you.”

Her bit said, the merchant rapidly turned away.

Behind her, Jack chuckled.

Well, it’s always nice to be appreciated, he thought as he admired himself in the mirror with new eyes.

Turning, he picked up his own addition to his wardrobe. A cane, though it might have been more apt to call the thing a club, given its thickness. He’d seen Ren give it the side-eye when he’d brought it out of subspace, but she’d said nothing, so it clearly wasn’t clashing with the rest of his outfit.

Which was good, because he didn’t want to leave home without it.

While he had a collection of microbots secreted under his clothes, they weren’t numerous enough to give him any real protection.

Enter Zappy, he thought proudly.

Made from the repurposed remnants of one of his suit’s gauntlets, the staff was actually a taser. One strong enough to drop a triceratops - which was mostly what had contributed to the increased width and weight of the thing.

He might not have been the brightest bulb in the shed, but he liked to think he could learn. And he had no desire to ever feel as defenseless as the Magistrate had made him feel ever again.

Content, and armored in the latest fashions, he set out to conquer the city.

***

Food didn’t last long in subspace storage. To that end, Jack’s newly built – and very fancy looking – carriage trundled down the road, followed by no less than two carts piled high with food containers.

It was actually a little amusing, how the locals stopped to stare at the horse-less carts as they drove past. He knew Ren had spent more than a few minutes sat in silent amazement as they traveled through the streets of Ten Huo, first marveling at the fact that nothing was pulling any of the carriages, and then marveling at how smooth the trip was.

Though it hadn’t taken long for her mercantile mind to get to work and start peppering him with questions on the drone-haulers. Things like how fast they could travel, how much weight they could haul, how expensive they were to make.

It wasn’t hard to see where her mind was headed.

Unfortunately for her burgeoning plans for a new trade network, he had plans for the next few production runs of his latest production line.

Big plans.

After that though, we’ll see, he thought as they slowed to a stop in front of the Steel Hoof compound.

And to give credit to the locals, he stared as much at the stone palace in front of him as they did at his carts. Sure, it wasn’t quite as impressive as the Magistrate’s tower, but it was still an incredible display of architectural might. Especially when one considered that there were nine more in the city of roughly similar quality – excluding his own rather more utilitarian contribution.

“Master Johansen?” the young woman on duty finally managed to get ahold of herself as he stepped from the cart – and given the way she seemed to stare at him for a second before speaking, he figured his outfit was working as intended.

“That’s me.” He grinned.

“This way please.” The junior sect adept was actually sporting a blush, before she pulled herself together and gestured behind her. “My mistress has been most excited by the thought of your arrival. You give much face to the Steel Hoof Sect with your attendance.”

He nodded, as behind him Ren directed the carts loaded down with food toward the servant’s entrance. The sight caused the Steel Hoof cultivator to raise an eyebrow, but she made no move to stop the procession. It was, while not terribly common, not unusual for cultivators to bring gifts of food to feasts like these.

Satisfied, Ren turned back to him and they stepped into the compound. Jack had little doubt his own additions would make it to the kitchen, guided as they were by one of Ren’s servants – an old battle axe of a woman who had been serving Ren’s meals for as long as the dog-woman had been alive. Quite literally, Ren had brought the blonde woman along with her when she left the mountain clans.

Striding up the stairs to the raised main building, Jack found himself admiring the statues dotted about the place, all invariably pig-kin of some sort. For while few sects would refuse cultivators of another race, they did tend to congregate. The only exception of any real note was the Jade Pavillion from which Ren originated.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Once inside, while his party of two was acknowledged by the many guards strewn about the place, both mortal and cultivator – they found themselves guided up a second staircase which covered many levels of the structure. At the top of that, they were admitted to a grand dining hall through two giant doors made from dark, varnished wood.

The expansive room was cavernous, with the high roof held up by massive gold inlaid marble pillars. He’d noted it before, and he noted again that the locals were clearly quite talented glass workers, as the walls in all directions held large square windows which gave the many occupants of the room a view out into the city in every direction.

And the view was incredible, towering above the cityscape, the angular rooftops and arches extended as far as the eye could see, broken only by other buildings of a similar height.

Tearing his gaze away from the panorama, Jack saw that in addition to the dozens of guests swanning about or sat at the myriad tables dotting around, the back of the room was dominated by a single high table, an enormous statement made of solid wood and inlaid with elaborate jade sculpting.

Shui herself sat at the center of it, surveying the party from her raised position with an almost bored expression as she cradled a chalice in one hand.

Along the length of the great table were seated her fellow sect leaders, women he recognized from his first meeting with the Magistrate. Each one was more elaborately dressed than the last. Their clothing and finery a mishmash of different patterns and styles. All of it spoke of wealth though.

Wealth and power, given that many of them sported animal skins and furs in a manner not unlike his own outfit.

Shui’s eyes seemed to light up, white teeth shining as a grin spread across her broad features.

"Ah, our city’s most mysterious and eligible bachelor has arrived at last. Please, take a seat at the table." The woman's raucous voice reverberated through the room, causing many to stop and stare as Jack swept across the room, one of the servants pulling up a seat for him directly to the Shui’s right.

Which even his dumbass could see was a statement unto itself.

Still, if he was going to be stuck talking to the leader of the sect’s little coalition all night, he was glad he wouldn’t have to yell across the table to do it.

He’d just have to politely reiterate to the Magistrate later – when news of this charade eventually reached her – that he had no intention of taking anyone’s side in the ongoing power struggle between her and the sects in her city.

Or more likely, he’d have to reiterate to her that he was a loyal subject of the Imperial Clan, effectively saying the same thing, only couched in subtle half speak that all people in power seemed to love.

God I hate politics, the Scandinavian thought as he sat down.

Unfortunately for him and his relative lack of political acumen, Ren wasn’t senior enough for the company he was now keeping and had been quietly directed to the lower tables, where he saw she wasn’t quite being swarmed by curious cultivators – but it was a close run thing.

The coalition leader continued to speak, her gruff voice echoing throughout the room. So much so that Jack wondered whether it was some kind of technique at work or just good acoustics.

"As you may know, Master Johansen made his way to our fair city after uncovering a damning Instinctive conspiracy within the ranks of the now vanquished Marble Cloud Sect. For though it was ultimately our beneficent Magistrate who put the holdings of the sect to the torch, it was the man before you who ultimately slew the sect in spirit. Vanquishing not only a number of corrupted cultivators and one sect elder, but the leader of the sect herself, Cui the Malformed."

None of this should have been news to anyone in the room, yet one wouldn't know it with the way whispers seemed to ripple out from the lower tables at the woman’s statement.

“And how was this hidden master rewarded for this service? With a burnt out ruin. Still, our new friend is not just a warrior, but a crafter as well. Within a single night he restored the holdings of the former Marble Cloud Sect. With his great beast, he created a new edifice of stone and steel that even now stands as proof of his power.”

Jack did not like the way the woman was talking him up. Especially not when she’d done so while unsubtly snubbing the Magistrate. Even if her words were true. With every word spoken he felt like he was being pulled further and further over to the sects’ side.

Unfortunately, this was not his arena, and Shui was a talented operator. She continued talking, giving him no room to interrupt.

“Were that all he had done, I would count this man a friend of the Steel Hoof Sect until the end of my days. Yet, he came to me just this morning with a proposal to better equip our forces in the fight against the Instinctive menace.”

Again, that was another twist of the truth. He’d been summoned.

“Weapons. Tools. The means by which even our city’s lowliest defenders might strike a blow for our home.” He noted she didn’t specifically say what he was giving the sects. And that he wasn’t so much giving it to them as exacting a price for his services. “Rejoice! For Ten Huo stands ever stronger! But for tonight, feast! Make merry! For tomorrow, we take the fight to the world beyond our walls.”

That… that was news to him. Were the local sects going to finally stop sitting on their ass and start clearing out the beasts overrunning the countryside? He’d have to ask her later and make some adjustments to his own plans if that really was the case.

With her bit said, the woman sat down and the room filled once more with a hundred disparate conversations as from the sides of the hall an army of servants brought out innumerable platters of food. There were entire roasted carcasses of pigs, chicken and cows, along with vegetables and fish. The sheer quantity of food on display was incredible, if ultimately not too surprising.

He’d seen how much An and Ren could pack away after all. Fortunately for him, that meant his own eating habits didn’t stand out unduly. A gene forged body came with many benefits, but it also required a lot of fuel.

Still, the sight reminded him of his own contribution to the proceedings.

"My thanks, Lady Shui for your most kind introductions.” He spoke a lot more quietly than the woman herself did, his words only traveling as far the length of the table they were sat at. “If it pleases you, I have one more item available for trade this evening?”

Around the table, he saw eyebrows raise.

“Ho?”

Thumbing a device in his pocket, a servant in the livery of the Jade Pavillion stepped forth from the kitchens – one of Ren’s – and strode forth with a significant bowl of steaming stew in her hands. Though, despite the fact that the woman walked with feigned confidence, it wasn’t hard to see the consternation hidden beneath that façade.

The reason for which became evident when she deposited a rather bland looking brown soup in front of the Sect Coalition leader.

Consternation rippled out from the postures of the women around them, Shui’s expression hardening as she regarded the mortal fare in front of her.

“Is this a joke, Master Johansen?” the woman finally asked as she looked up at him.

It wasn’t hard to see why she was offended. He’d basically just offered her a peasant’s dish. A bowl of brown soup filled with vegetables and not even a hint of meat.

Jack waited, allowing the tension in the room to build, before he smiled. “Yes and no.”

The pig-woman deliberately pushed the bowl to the side. “Would you care to explain then? For though my allies and I could forgive much, given your obviously foreign nature, even a foreigner would see this insult for what it was.”

He was interested to note that the woman had clearly figured out he wasn’t from around here already. It had taken Ren a few weeks to come to the same conclusion. Or perhaps she had always suspected and chose only to act on it once she’d gotten a better handle on him?

It had also been illuminating to learn that civilizations beyond the Empire existed. Albeit, they were far across the sea, with the Empire only receiving sporadic contact in the form of traders. Something Ren attributed to the dangers of sea travel – because of course the sea was filled with monsters – and the fact that the Empire was almost entirely surrounded by bloodthirsty tribes of Instinctive cultivators.

“Ah, please forgive the childishness of my jest.” Jack said, backpedaling even as he was inwardly gratified by the fact that his little prank had everyone’s attention. “I simply thought that my newest innovation would be better displayed with an example. To that end…”

He twisted his fingers, and seemingly from nowhere, a servant appeared to place a can into his hands. “Specifically, I wanted to point out that the contents of that bowl are the same as the contents of this container. A full meal, fit for a mortal. All the better to keep them marching, fighting and dying in the Empire’s glorious name.”

All around the table, he saw expressions of confusion at his words, but he slowly saw the light dawn in the eyes of Shui – and another woman in green robes that he was reasonably sure was Ren’s former boss.

Which made sense, he supposed. A career soldier and trader would both see the value in what he was offering.

“Master Johansen, would I be incorrect in assuming that you’ve done something to that container to keep the contents free of rot?” the green robed woman asked.

He grinned, happy to see how quickly they were catching on.

“You would be correct.”

“For how long?”

“Years.”

Shui was the first to speak. “I want it. It could… well, it would greatly simplify our wartime logistics.”

“Forget that,” another woman murmured. “It would do much to offset the city’s looming food shortage. Rationing it to make it last is all well and good, but one cannot extend how long a harvest will last before it spoils. Even with curing and salting.”

“Then we’ll be facing disease and rioting. And I for one am not eager to spend my valuable time and energy putting down a civilian rebellion in the middle of the greatest crisis this Empire has ever known.” Another Sect Leader opined with a put-upon expression.

Jack nodded, placing the can down on the table with an audible thunk. “That is good, for I would be happy to apply my preservation techniques to the supplies of any sect that asks – for a small tithe of the supplies themselves.”

“…That is most generous of you, Master Johansen.” The woman in green said slowly.

Oh, he wouldn’t say it was generosity that made him offer this. This was just another item in a long list of services he intended to perform that would make the city dependent on his continued good will. By the time he was done here, they wouldn’t be able to even take a shit without a roll of his Johansen Brand toilet paper by their side.

Because if he couldn’t be top dog through the power of his weapons, he’d get there through the power of his wallet.

“I do what I can, for the good of the Empire,” he lied through his teeth.