The shop’s exterior was extremely shady. The adjacent buildings have some kind of modern touch in them, such as having clear-cut concrete and steel exterior, but this one is made out of unsophisticated brown wood, having an older-era architecture. Not only that, the roof tiles are made out of plain clay, and the walls are somewhat shabby, with parts of the wall rotting. The lack of luminar ward pylon presence in the doorway indirectly stated that not everyone can enter safely, as the radiation emanating from the interior is intense.
Nevertheless, Kenji led the apprentice towards the shop, but told them to wait, as he entered the premises alone.
A few moments after the seemingly weak rotten door which would break down with a touch had closed, Kenjir re-appeared.
“This store is run by the Yukikaze clan, so you can’t enter without commendation. Even if you forcefully barge in, you won’t be able to purchase their goods.” Kenji touched his chin, “Anyway, let’s go in.”
After passing through the door, Mordred found out that the radiation in the doorway was fake. It was just regular hot air, generated by a fake radiation-emitting device.
The interior of the shop does not surprise Mordred due to his senses automatically creating a three-dimensional map of his surroundings, but the same can’t be said for the apprentices. They were amazed because of the extreme discrepancy between the interior and exterior.
It was as if they had entered a hospital, the corridor walls were pure white and the floor was made out of radiation-absorbent rubbery material, similar in function to luminar ward pylons. The lights on the ceiling were pure white, which created an illusion of a clean and sterile area.
“Greetings, Hunter Kenji.” A woman draped in a maid outfit greets Kenji and the apprentices. She has black hair and a beautiful face seemingly sculpted like a doll. She wore round-framed glasses, which further enhanced her charm. “The Master isn’t here to greet you, so I’ll be taking on that role. Please, follow me.” The maid led everyone through a winding corridor, a stairway, and another corridor before reaching the destination.
“What is this place?” An apprentice couldn’t help but ask about Kenji’s lack of explanation.
“This is a government facility dedicated to supporting the Yamato clan’s endeavor. Though some clans are authorized to use them, the captain can do whatever she wants with this facility because her family owns it. In any case…” Kenji trailed his words because the maid had opened the door ahead.
“We, the Yukikaze clan, support the Hartina Kingdom by sending helpers and assistance in whatever field necessary.” The maid added to Kenji’s words as she interacted with a holo-screen appearing on her wrist. In response, multiple glass-like monitors rose from the ground, revealing information about people such as their pictures, personal data, etc.
“The Yukikaze clan’s largest imports, other than their unique ice-path resources, are manpower.” The maid elaborated further. “Each of you is allowed to receive one rank 0 servant of your choice, courtesy of Her Highness Yukikaze Shion. These servants will do all your bidding and will sacrifice their lives for you in time of need. If you have any questions, I will try to give you a satisfying answer. Here is the summary of the master-servant contract, you all should read them to familiarize yourself with how we work.”
The apprentices quickly read the contract and noticed that there were no strange clauses that would trap them. After confirming that they are fully aware of how the contract would bind the servant and the master, they are allowed to choose their future-servant.
The apprentices were not familiar with how to operate the magitek, but the touch-screen was made with zero user experience in mind. With human-computer interaction being considered, it took youths with high learning capacity to master it with a few touches.
After a brief period of quietness, one prudent apprentice raised questions that had been bothering his mind, “These servants, are they like slaves?”
The maid didn’t change her expression. “No, we don’t do that here. The Yukikaze clan does not trade slaves like barbarians from the Land of Sand and Fire, but services. Since you’re all just apprentices, you can only receive two types of servants: battle servants, or research servants. Battle Servants are personnel who are highly trained in combat. There are more in-depth sub-specializations, but they are generally used by their masters for taking on missions of the Hunter Association independently or on guard duty.
On the other hand, research servants are highly educated servants. They could assist you in refining spell resources, research spells, or even provide you with general information gathering for a minor inheritance, depending on the sub-specialization of your choice.”
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Seeing some of the apprentices’ eyes gazing at the screen with lust, the maid simply continues, “The authorized servants are pseudo-cultivators, they are not real cultivators but simple mortals who have received specialized education and life-alteration surgery from the Yukikaze clan.”
“Does that mean…?”
“Yes.” The maid nodded. “Considering the popularity, they also received a portion of Yukikaze clan’s secret inheritance relating to Bedroom Art.”
At the revelation, the apprentices whispered amongst themselves in excitement.
The Bedroom Art was incredibly famous because, well, being horny is a feature shared by all races. From the abyssal depth of the Seas of Eternal Winter to the highest point of the Ninth Tier Heaven, all lifeforms have some level of lust. Bedroom Art, the secret inheritance of the Yukikaze Clan that relates to sex, has become so incredibly famous that the Land of Sand and Fire countries who thrived on warfare and slave trading have created their own version.
In this world, unless inheritances are encrypted with methods such as the information-path spell [Copy Protection], most of them can easily be deducted or directly copied. Of course, even if it was encrypted, high-rank cultivators could still achieve what they wanted, but at the very least, it’ll take time and effort. And even then, it wouldn't be the same as the original.
This is why, having trained in the bits of the Yukikaze clan’s secretive Bedroom Art True Inheritance is a big deal.
The apprentices quickly filtered out the servants of the same sex as their own, except for the select few who had their reasons. Thanks to that, the selection process was accelerated and the apprentices quickly chose their future-servants.
“What’s wrong, Satoru? The others have picked their choice.” Kenji wondered after seeing Mordred merely glance at a servant’s profile before adding more or removing filters.
“I…” Mordred’s finger hangs in the air, “If they are not slaves, where do the Yukikaze get these people from? I’m sure not just any mortals wanted to receive the life-altering surgery to become a pseudo-cultivator on their own. The mortality rate and the wages are not ideal, after all. I’m not even sure they are properly compensated.”
Kenji chuckled. “Of course, that would be from other worlds. Extraplanar campaigns are commonplace, everyone does that. What's unique is the method the Yukikaze clan used to train these servants.”
“The origin of these people is of no significance to you. What’s important is that they will do your every bidding until you break through Official Ascension. Until then, you might use them as you see fit.” The maid added.
“Even if I use her…” Mordred pointed at the picture of his future servant, “as a sex doll or even experimented on her body until she became a puddle of goo?”
“We have no obligation nor reason to tell you otherwise. However, be advised that according to Hartina Kingdom’s laws, the servant’s actions represent yours. If you were to order a servant to commit a crime or if the servant were to take part in a crime in any perceivable way, you will be punished, while the servant will be returned to the Yukikaze clan for reeducation.”
“Brainwashing, you mean?” Mordred asked.
“Please, we do not use that word.” The maid smiles, ignoring Mordred’s audacity. “It’s bad for business.”
Mordred smiled. ‘It seems like my schemes with the Yukikaze clan are far deeper than I thought.’ “Very well, I choose this one.”
“Understood.” The maid announced, “Let me reiterate once more, we of the Yukikaze clan do not participate in slave trading as such practice is against the Kingdom’s law. Since the servants come from various backgrounds, we do not have a definite estimated time of arrival for them, so you have to wait. The contract stated that your master-servant relationship with them only extends until you’ve attempted Official Ascension twice. If the result of the first try ends up as you successfully break through to the realm of rank 1 Official, or if the second try results in failure, the servants will have to be returned to the Yukikaze clan.”
“What happens if they do not return?” A curious apprentice asked.
“They will explode into a bloody mess, possibly killing yourself in the process.” The maid smiled, “Therefore, it is imperative that you follow the Yukikaze clan’s contract to the best of your abilities and do not try to mess around with the contract’s boundaries. Failing to do so would draw ire from the Yukikaze clan.”
“Yeah, it’s better if you don’t try anything around the contract.” Kenji chimed in. “It may not look like it, but Captain Shion is one of the amicable Yukikaze clan’s trueblood. Her clan’s minor branches are fine, but the main branch has some screw loose in their head. Cough! That includes Shion as well, but…” His later words become a mumble that is difficult for the apprentice to hear.
“Is that how you see Her Highness?” The maid gazed at Kenji, “I shall report that to Her Highness directly.”
“Heh, I’m not afraid, she’s like a brother to me. We shared and watched hentai together.” Kenji defended himself.
“I don’t want to know that.” The maid whispered to Kenji as she cleared her throat. “In any case, your visiting time has ended. It’s time for you to leave.”
“Just in time.” Kenji nodded after reading the new message on his phone. “You’re all accepted in the Royal Academy without the need for further testing. Let’s head back.”