Gray paused and studied the three Patels. He wanted to help them. He wanted to help his miners. But he also wanted to obtain the massive treasure trove of jade. He wanted to kill a demon and earn his citizenship to the New Ocean Kingdom. Would he be able to achieve all these goals if he simply gave away the secrets for free?

His habit of always being suspicious and careful kicked in. He had extra reason in front of these people. Harsh was wily and still probably stronger than him. Alisha was nice but she turned out to be Lord Reddy, the same stingy and useless lord he despised. The fighting ability she showed at the southern wall was also nothing to scoff at. And finally there was Anand, the unfathomable expert who seemed stranger each time Gray saw him.

Gray didn't know what they wanted or what their bottom line was. He couldn't simply rely on their goodwill and hope for the best. He had to get some assurances.

"What am I to you all?" He asked.

This earned him confused looks.

"I mean..." He continued, "I am just a random guy from the mountains. I am just passing by. I'm not even a resident of this town. This war has nothing to do with me so what do I get out of helping with anything?"

"How can you say that?" Harsh snapped, "We've helped you so much. You should help us in return. That should be common sense and the honorable thing to do!"

Alisha also looked unhappy but she didn't say anything. Only Anand looked unperturbed as he continued to nibble at his breakfast.

Gray knew he was being an ass but this was just a part of negotiations. He wasn't going to fight bandits and demons out of the goodness of his heart. He wasn't tired of living and seeking death for fun.

Therefore, he stayed firm. "I want to know what our relationship is... Friends? Acquaintances? Or am I just useful underling you can order around?"

"This is ridiculous! I don't have time for this!" Harsh said, slamming his palm on the table, "Either talk or don't talk. I have a war to fight!"

Anand looked up and pointed to Harsh, "Leave."

Harsh was stunned for a moment before he huffed and stormed out. Anand then contemplated his half-eaten bowl of porridge for a long time before speaking again, "Gray, you are a very impressive young man... You are completely right. I do see you as friend but friendships should be built on equal trust and partnership. I am willing to give you what you want provided the information you share is indeed as significant as you believe. I am also willing to answer any questions you have as long as they do not touch upon things I absolutely cannot reveal."

"Father..."

"Shush, Alisha." Anand said sternly and she backed off, "Now, let's talk... as partners about to make a deal."

Gray appreciated Anand's candor. The old gem merchant new exactly what he wanted.

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"Thanks, old man." He said, "First piece of information on why we have to attack the bandits as soon as possible and free the prisoners... The bandits have discovered a secret underneath the open-pit mine that used to belong to the Southern Seas Mining Company. Underneath what seems like a useless and impervious layer of rock is a huge, almost endless deposit of jade. It is simply massive!" Gray spread his arms out for emphasis. "There is so much down there that it is fully capable of transforming the bandit army from top to bottom. I am also pretty sure that there’s plenty of flawless jade down there."

The father and daughter pair looked at each other. If they were surprised, they tried not to show it. They were smart people so Gray didn't need to explain to them the implications of such a treasure trove of jade.

They absolutely could not let the bandits get a hold of flawless jade. If flawless jade appeared, it wasn't just the ordinary Duanmu Clan members who would be able to overcome their bottlenecks and improve. The elders would stand a good chance of breakthrough through to the Spiritual Control Realm. When that happened, the town was doomed to fall.

Alisha spoke first, "I understand. Since I just confiscated all assets of the Southern Seas Mining Company, I inadvertently helped you. I don't think it's fair if you want to claim the whole mine for yourself. But, I am willing to give your King's Mountain Mining Company a half claim to the mine."

"That's not enough since I found the jade." Gray replied, "How about I get six-tenths?"

"Fine, deal." She extended a hand and he shook it.

"Okay, the second one. This is one can only be split half and half." Gray said.

Alisha and Anand both agreed so Gray continued, "The other secret why we have to attack immediately is that the bandits will never give up fighting. This isn't an ordinary war driven by human reason. This is because the bandit clan is being controlled by demons in disguise!"

Bang!

Woosh!

Alisha leaped to her feet, her hands on the table, shaking visibly. But her reaction was overshadowed by Anand, whose cyan-colored spiritual energy billowed out ferociously. The breakfast table had been turned into splinters. The ground beneath Gray's feet vibrated from Anand’s massive spiritual aura.

Some of that spiritual energy even penetrated Gray’s body. He tried to resist with the Golden Body of the Bodhi but it was like trying to block a wind storm with a thin piece of cloth. It sliced through his resistance like it was nothing.

Gray took a few steps back. The person before him was no longer of a kind frail man but a fearsome expert. Despite his time with Xueling, she had never shown him her full power like Anand was doing now. This was the true strength of someone at the upper stage of the Spiritual Control Realm, someone who was able to control spiritual energy within his immediate surrounding and exert his will completely.

“Are you sure? You can’t joke about such things!” Anand’s voice was powerful and grave.

Gray nodded several times, “Yeah, I’m absolutely sure.”

The intense aura disappeared as quickly as it came. Anand sat back down and his spiritual energy withdrew. His body shook afterward and he made several pained coughs. Alisha hurriedly caught her father and helped him sit down. She scowled at Gray as this was his fault.

"Gray..." Anand said after recovering, "How many demons?"

"Two. The first elder and another elder but I couldn't figure out which one."

"First Elder Xing Duanmu... impossible… almost inconceivable. I truly did not expect demons to make their way here. The kingdom might be in real trouble..."

Alisha rubbed her father's back as he trailed off, lost in thought.

"So you want credit for one of the demons if we manage to kill them? To get the citizenship reward?" She asked Gray.

"That's right!"

"Demons aren't easy to kill, especially ones trained in infiltration and sabotage. If you want credit, you have to help us fight. If we have to attack the bandits sooner rather than later, we need your strength." She said.

"Deal. I'll fight." Gray said and held out his hand, "I was always intending to fight. I just wanted to guarantee my rewards."

Alisha shook his hand but before they could separate, Anand's hand appeared on top of theirs.

"Hold on, young calves. I'll fight too!"