Chapter 658: Missed and Found.

Neesa walked out of the manor and listened to the sound of birds singing. She glanced at the horses and decided to grab the hay from the ground. The coachman lowered his head and slowly knelt to his knees and his head touched the ground, not caring if there was any horse feces.

"Stand, leave me alone for a moment," Neesa ordered.

The coachman crawled backward until far enough before he stood up an bowed his head and left hurriedly.

"What’s the point of respect when it’s based on fear?" Neesa asked as she fed the horse and caressed its mane. "Is that really how power works? It cause fear more than respect?" She watched the horse eat.

Not long after the coachman left, Neesa’s bodyguard came and knelt there, bowing and wouldn’t dare to lift his head until she ordered him to. Neesa casually flicked her hand, signaling her bodyguard to stand up and speak for his disturbance.

"Your Imperial Highness, everyone has gathered and the tournament will begin tomorrow morning," the bodyguard said as he stood up. "As His Imperial Highness said, we aren’t allowed to be away from the palace for more than a week. We only have three days left, and the journay back to the palace will take three days at best," he pointed out.

"I suppose I miscalculated," Neesa responded as she fed the horse for one last time. "Tell my maid to prepare the inkstone and a piece of paper. I will write a letter to the emperor," she said as she turned around and stared at her bodyguard. "Prepare a man to deliver the letter," she ordered and walked past her bodyguard.

Neesa’s bodyguard had been by her side for as long as he remembered, and he had never seen her so excited about something. He didn’t know if he should feel scared or happy that there was something that could make Neesa so excited. He then went to summon her maid and brought what she requested earlier.

At the same time, Ogun was in his office when he received a report about Rasmus. He listened to the report and he couldn’t help but massage his nose bridge with a tired chuckle.

"To think his desire to explore the mountain led him toward the most dangerous person in the empire is almost comical," Ogun said as he watched people in the courtyard get a briefing for the tournament tomorrow. "But I feel something is off by how polite he is. He’s nowhere near being a dignified or a gentleman based on what I have gathered about him in other continents," he muttered as he rubbed his lips with his forefinger.

"Could it be that he’s acting as a distraction? Princess Anastasha is here and currently she’s staying in a secluded manor that’s far from those who are competing for the tournament. It could be that he wants us to pay attention to him because he’s acting like this so Princess Anastasha could scheme something while we aren’t looking?" The surveillance unit captain pointed out as he stood behind Ogun.

"That’s possible, and perhaps that could be why he’s acting like this. He got a title as a Dignified Gentleman, and he’s using that as an opportunity to force us to keep an eye on him due to us knowing his background," Ogun responded with his eyes narrowed. "Or perhaps, there’s something that we don’t know about him. Something that nobody knows but the people that are close to him," he sighed as he closed his eyes and tapped his forehead with his middle finger.

"Then what should we do, Master Strategist? Should we keep an eye on him and Princess Anastasha? But if we keep doing that, we might lack personnel to survey the whole mountain from Demonic Cult that might infiltrate," the captain asked with a serious expression.

Ogun rested his hands on the window frame, leaning against it as he thought really hard that his brows furrowed deeply.

"Pull our men, let him be," Ogun said quietly. "I’m trusting my intuition," he revealed.

"Understood," the captain nodded and then left. ℴ

"Don’t disappoint me this time..." Ogun glanced at the mirror, staring at himself.

Before Ogun could think of a more important matter to solve, one of the Heavenly Alliance’s Zeniths came in, and it was Tenzin. Ogun could see the concern in Tenzin’s face, and he took a deep breath before he pointed his hand at the table.

"There’s no need for that, Master Strategist Ogun. I came here to ask if you know anything about the Heavenly Alliance’s leader’s whereabouts?" Tenzin asked.

"Alliance Leader Ma isn’t in his manor?" Ogun furrowed his brows.

"He was in his manor this morning, but now he’s nowhere to be found. I thought that he came here to visit," Tenzin shook his head.

Ogun exhaled and crossed his arms, looking disappointed but at the same time exhausted as if it wasn’t the first time Alliance Leader Ma disappeared like that.

"At a time like this he decided to disappear," Ogun muttered as he walked toward his desk. "If it’s Alliance Leader Ma, if we can’t find him that means he doesn’t want to be found. There’s nothing we can do about it. I know he would come back soon enough, or at least until his duty comes," he said and sat down in his chair.

Tenzin sighed and nodded in agreement because he knew Ogun was right. It wasn’t the first time Alliance Leader Ma suddenly disappeared. He then walked toward the window and saw martial artists from different clans gather and socialize.

"Those people that you have suspicious on, have you found out about their backgrounds?" Tenzin looked at Ogun that was already focused on the document in front of him.

"Yes, but there are two that I still couldn’t find. I thought I knew one of them and their identity, but I was wrong," Ogun answered.

"Two? That was the first time you couldn’t find anyone’s background. Who are they?" Tenzin asked.

"Ruen and the other one is Zhang Wei, which is quite ironic, isn’t it?" Ogun scoffed.

"Zhang Wei? Might as well just don’t give him a name," Tenzin responded. "Do you think he’s a spy that the Demonic Cult send?" He furrowed his brows.

"I’m not sure," Ogun leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "Even my intuitions have been quiet about it," he sighed.

Tenzin hummed and nodded with understanding, knowing that all the Zeniths had to be extra cautious about this year’s tournament. There were so many guests that they would never expect would come, and all of them were figures that could easily change the future of the Khan Empire.

"You look exhausted. I suppose I have wasted your only time to rest, Master Strategist," Tenzin said and excused himself.

Ogun watched Tenzin leave and the room became quiet once agian, but his thoughts never let the silence enter his mind. He decided to continue his work while he still had the time.

On the other side of the mountain, Rasmus found himself at the bottom of the waterfall, and it was one of the waterfalls that he saw at the base of the mountain. He stared at the mist floating above him that blocked the sunlight and made the cherry blossoms look more mythical. He then noticed a flat surface right under the waterfall, a rock that was intentionally cut off so it would have a flat surface.

"You must be wondering if that rock is for people sitting on it and meditate while being crushed by the waterfall," an old man’s voice could be heard from Rasmus’ right.

Rasmus turned his head and found an old man wearing an all-white robe, long white hair and a long white beard that went all the way down to his chest. Rasmus could see the immense amount of Mana within the old man, more than anyone he had seen so far in East Neva. He didn’t hesitate to give a martial arts salutation to the old man. The old man smiled gently and did the same to him.

"I was about to think about that," Rasmus nodded.

"Well, who would be crazy enough to sit there and be crushed by a waterfall?" The old man laughed as he caressed his beard.

"Martial artists. They would do anything to get stronger," Rasmus answered.

The old man’s laughter grew louder as he nodded in agreement.

"You’re absolutely right," the old man responded. "But I forbid anyone to do such a thing, I made sure no disciples of the Heavenly Alliance to believe in such a thing," he revealed.

Rasmus nodded with understanding and stared at the flat-surfaced rock again without reacting to the fact the old man that appeared was no other than the Alliance Leader himself. Ma also found it pleasing that Rasmus didn’t react by the revelation but more interested in the topic, which made Ma think how peculiar Rasmus’ way of thinking was.

"How many people do you think have injured themselves trying to gain enlightenment by trying to do that?" Ma asked and stared at the rock before he glanced at Rasmus to test his way of thinking.

"Not big enough to make people stop doing it," Rasmus answered.

Ma laughed once again and nodded with understanding.