Undine almost laughed out loud at Attie’s antic. She was really beginning to wonder if this woman was even the same vixen who had ordered her men to hang her up in the tent for days.
Baiyi enjoyed this even more than the others. He patted Attie’s head, feeling content, as Mia and Vidomina stood behind him with warm towels in their hands, cleaning his armor. Even his black cape had been taken off and was being washed clean by Laeticia.
If it was not for Undine’s strong grip on Tisdale’s shoulders, the girl would probably be rushing into his embrace, too!
Undine found herself feeling a little green at the scene and muttered, “Gosh, look at how much these little girls like him…”
“Well, in this case, I would write a letter in Attie’s name to her clansmen, asking for their cooperation. Not sure how much that would help, though,” Baiyi said, feeling relaxed.
At that time, Mia and Vidomina had finished cleaning his back. Both girls proceeded to lay on his thighs, with their face pushing into his chest. It looked a tad bit risque and suggestive, so Baiyi snatched the towels from them and said softly, “Go and have your breakfast. I can clean this part from here myself.”
The fairy Nota brought in batches and batches of softly-baked cakes and golden-fried eggs atop trays to the family and the guest. Undine, the swordswoman-turned-businesswoman, enjoyed the hospitality and the student’s cooking. As Undine ate, she mumbled between bites, “So, since we are talking about lowering the price of those glider sets…”
“Nope. You should be grateful that I’m not raising their prices!” Baiyi cut her off briskly.
“How could you do this to me!” Undine pulled her face down, looking as though she had been wronged. She shook Tisdale’s shoulder and mumbled, “Help your sis out, please?”
The girl shook her head. “No! He’ll spank me for that!”
“Hold on. You’re the good girl model, aren’t you? He actually spanked you?”
“Yes! And it hurts so much,” Laeticia chimed in. “I didn’t finish my assignment well enough that one time, and I got punished…”
Undine glared at Baiyi, who was watering his plant at a side, and said with a low voice, “Hey, how about a change of school? I know a place — an elite girl school for the upper-class ladies. I can get you guys there!”
They girls shook their head sideways without even considering her offer.
“Damn it. This guy is good at charming little girls!” Undine exclaimed. “Good thing I’m already a certified Adult Woman Who has Joined Society. I’m not that naive, ha!”
With all her matters taken care of, Undine was quick to excuse herself. As the heiress of the prestigious merchant family, she had always had a busy schedule. This was also the reason why she had to see Baiyi early in the morning, instead of a more normal time; every other time she had already been packed and planned with even more pressing issues.
Baiyi carried his little potted-plants outside as he sent her off.
“Oh, right! Almost forgot,” Undine turned her head back at him after walking a few steps out of the door. “Is your gilder set formation… well, hard to imitate and crack-proof? To be honest, a few days ago, our gliders kept missing.”
“You’re welcome to find anyone to try.” Baiyi did not seem to mind her news so much; he lined up the plants neatly in the yard, looking for the best spot for a good sunbath. Sunny, the sunflower, was dancing next to them, because, according to it, “it could help plants grow faster and stronger”.
“Hmm, if you’re this confident about that, I guess I have nothing to fear.” Undine never had any doubt about Baiyi’s skill, so she was easily convinced.
However, she still did not leave the house. Her two hands were fidgeting with the edge of her skirt, and her face reddened as if she was preparing for a confession.
“What’s the matter? Anything else?” Baiyi asked without turning his head away from his new sprout.
“Well… That… That —” Undine’s voice was very soft. “That guy in black who fought you before, has he not bothered you anymore after that? You snatched the War God’s Sword from him. I don’t think he’s gonna let that go easily, right?”
‘Why is this girl so obsessed with my alter ego?’ Baiyi was bemused, but he replied, “Nope. Why? Do you miss him?”
“Miss him?! Miss that Stinky Bastard?!” Undine retorted. “It’s… It’s just that he saved my life, so I guess a proper thank you must be made… I never got the chance, though.”
“I’m sure he knows of your sentiment.”
“Oh, okay. I gotta jet now. Please be quick with those formations!” Undine replied softly before she dashed to a coach parked outside the yard.
“Sir Hope, come to think of it, isn’t my junior here a very lucrative prospect, too?” The Merchant asked, with a quiet voice, from the Void. “She’s beautiful, kind, and most importantly, she’s got the funds — eh? H-hello, t-t-two most beautiful heroines — please, m-mercy. I was kidding, hahaha! Kidd —”
‘What did he say to offend those two?’ Baiyi thought curiously as the Merchant’s voice trailed off. Baiyi stood straight after adjusting the pot, and then he spoke to the dancing sunflower, “This should be good for them, right? …Oh, that’s great. Hey, take care of them well for me, please!”
Sunny flashed him a bright, assuring smile. The sunflower looked so wholesome and beautiful, until one remembered its original form and the manner by which it ate. ‘Gods, suddenly this smile seems purely sinister.’
‘Then again, the sunflower did say it could hear the thoughts of my plants — like their needs and wants. This makes Sunny the best caretaker for my precious flowers.’
“Does the issue of larceny concerning your gliders not occupy your mind at all, Sir Hope?” The Scholar suddenly asked.
“Should I even worry?” Baiyi replied quizzically. “I mean, you really think those fellas could decode my protective formations? Plus, I added Code 16035 on it, too. You do remember the joy and fun you had trying to solve that one for a loooong time, don’t you?”
“You asinine rapscallion! That was no ‘puzzle’; it was a crude, elaborative prank! A jab at all determined scholars!” The Scholar’s voice was suddenly less friendly; it was as though she just remembered a humiliating defeat.
“That’s quite a mischaracterization, though. By the time those sorcerers have spent their entire lives trying to understand the forbidden tricks and limits of Ancient Rohlserlian formations, in order to come up with a solution to decrypt my safeguards, the continents may already have shifted, right?” Baiyi chuckled.
In a noble’s estate, donning the standard robes typical of the sages from the Doors of Conundrum, were three men with long white beards. They sat around a small table, and their expressions held similar grimaces.
“Are you sure? The three of you are the greatest masters in formations in this universe! Yet, seven days have passed, and you all…” said the man in an aristocratic attire. He was sitting across the table, opposite of the three elders, with a desperate frown on his face.
“My Lord, it is not that our own capabilities depreciated, but the guard used in this formation….” One of the old men trailed off, his face an acute picture of shame.
Before the three was a formation drawn on a parchment. It was taken down from a certain family’s glider.
“Before the great master who set up this formation, we are nothing but apprentices,” another elder added in grief. “This master’s knowledge on formations and guards is far beyond our reach…”
“Please excuse our complete defeat,” the last old man finished. With that, they stood up, preparing to leave.
“My Lord, we shall return the commission fees to you. We do, however, have a small favor to ask of you. Please grant that favor as pity for the amount of work we have put into your request, my Lord.”
“Yes, we would like to request an audience with the master who created this formation. We would like to see who this unbelievable man is with our own eyes!”
“Agree. I even thought that the legendary Emperor of the Ancient Rohlserl Empire had returned!”
“At this time and age, Formations itself is a dying subject. For being able to study it so well to this level, we would very much like to be this man’s disciples.”
The nobleman’s face darkened. He took a few deep breaths as words swirled around in his head. Then, finally, he opened his mouth. “My apologies, but the request will not be granted. I cannot breach a certain promise.”
The three elders shook their heads in lamentation, but they did not ask anymore. Leaving behind a large sack full of coins, they turned away in shame.
After sending the elders off to their coach, the Earl hurried back into his estate. At a corner was his guestroom.
Three middle-aged men were sitting in the room; they all wore the standard robe of the Sorcerer Association.
They were a lot younger than the three elderly men, and they looked more relaxed, as well. One of them was fidgeting with the same parchment that the three sages had been working on previously, as he chatted with his companions.
“S-so, any result?” The Earl asked anxiously. “I am dying for some good news here!”
“Oh yes!” One of the sorcerers announced proudly. “We have contacted the headquarters. They said that it’s easy to create runes with similar effects.”
The Earl let a sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on his face. “Good thing I have you competent sorcerers from the Sorcerer Association — unlike those nerds from the Doors of Conundrum. Now if the formation can be replicated into runes, I suppose the most difficult part of this over. Let us parley about the price…”
“Don’t you worry, my Lord. We Sorcerers are economical,” one of the sorcerers replied. “The cost of developing the runes is 20 million gold, and the runes that would be massively-produced after this? 5000 gold per set. The headquarters have agreed to this price, too! So, what do you say? Very affordable, right? It’s the best price I can offer you!”
“You fucking bloodsuckers!” The Earl howled in rage, flipping his table in the process.
His spies in the Dole family had told him that the cost of the formation was a bloody 250 gold, but these greedy a**hats in front of him stole someone else’s work, and then dared asked for a price 20 times higher than the cost his spies in the Dole Family reported!