Chapter 659: Mutual Respect.

"Young man, how old are you?" Ma stared at Rasmus, and saw something admirable in the way Rasmus maintained his calmness. "If it’s too much to answer, I apologize," he added.

Rasmus took a moment to answer the question not because he didn’t want to give the answer but because he had never cared about his age. It was no longer something that he had to remember during his late years as Kyros. He brought that habit to this world as well, and he didn’t remember how old Rasmus was when he possessed his body.

"Twenty seven this year," Rasmus answered as he looked at Ma. "And please just call me by my name, not my title," he pointed out.

Ma smiled softly when Rasmus pointed out that Ma already knew who Rasmus was. Of course, Ma knew, but he wanted to test what kind of a person Rasmus was before he could call him by his name.

"Twenty seven, that’s not even a fourth of my age," Ma muttered as he let out a heavy sigh before he stared at the top of the waterfall. "A fourth..." he repeated as he closed his eyes. "What do you think about immortality, Rasmus Blackheart?" he slowly opened his eyes and looked at Rasmus.

Rasmus stared back at Ma, seeing the desire to understand and to observe in Ma’s eyes.

"I’m too young to understand that," Rasmus responded with a straight face. "You’re looking at the wrong person for that question, Alliance Leader," he added before he looked away and focused on the scenery of the Immortal Mountain.

Ma didn’t look away or reacted to Rasmus’ answer this time. The silence grew louder, louder than the sound of the waterfall in the background. He was expecting Rasmus to give an answer, any answer, but not that kind of an answer.

"For a man who have fought immortal beings, walking beside immortal beings, and to have a bloodline with the ability of immortality running through your veins, I was expecting you have pondered such question. After all, you’re the architect, the man who paved the path," Ma responded, this time with such seriousness.

"Is that so?" Rasmus raised his brows slightly. "But still, I haven’t thought about it. I don’t have the luxury to wander around and have a moment for myself. There were always time when I had to deal with people out of nowhere," he turned his head and stared Ma in the eyes. "Maybe if I have the time to be alone, I might give it a thought, Alliance Leader," he added.

Ma’s eyes widened slightly at the blatant sarcasm, but it was delivered without any sign of hostility. He realized that he had been rude toward Rasmus when Rasmus wanted nothing but to have a peaceful moment. He felt ashamed that his curiosity outweighed the things he had taught everyone, respect.

"I have to apologies for my rudeness," Ma lowered his head and gave Rasmus a martial arts salutation before he decided to turn around and walk away.

Rasmus looked at the ground for a moment before he looked at Ma once again.

"I’ll give you the answer once I have thought about it, Alliance Leader," Rasmus said and gave Ma the salutation.

Ma turned around with a gentle smile as he nodded before he walked into the forest and disappeared.

Rasmus sat down on a small boulder of rock near the waterfall, watching the mist begin to block his vision of his surroundings. He slowly closed his eyes and the noises around him began to fade away, leaving him in his solitude but with nature wrapped around him as if they were the silent witness and observer of his existence. He finally used his time to meditate and empty his mind from everything that had weighed on his mind and shoulders.

At the same time, Ma arrived in front of Ogun’s manor and casually walked in without any warning. When he opened the door, he saw Ogun staring at him with curiosity because what Ogun saw on Ma’s face was something he rarely saw. Ogun saw the bright in Ma’s eyes, those were the eyes that had seen something fascinating and worth his attention.

"Everyone is looking for you, Alliance Leader," Ogun said as he put down his brush. "Did you find something interesting, Alliance Leader?" He asked.

"Interesting? That’s an understatement, Master Strategist," Ma shook his head and sat down. His posture looked so relaxed and laid back. "I met with the man that we are so wary about," he revealed.

Ogun furrowed his brows, in disbelief that Ma had met with Rasmus Blackheart. He had just pulled his men from keeping an eye on Rasmus, but he never thought that Ma had used that opportunity to meet him.

"What do you think of him, Alliance Leader?" Ogun’s expression became serious and cold.

"You’re better at judging people’s personality, so don’t take my words as absolute truth," Ma said as he looked at the painting of a deer eating grass on the wall, the painting that the first Master Strategist of the Heavenly Alliance made. "He’s truly a Dignified Gentleman as what Patriarch Gang had described," he answered.

Ogun hummed and he believed Ma because Ma was not a person that could be easily deceived, and there wasn’t a single moment where Ma’s judgment about people to be wrong. He then remembered his decision to pull back his unit from observing Rasmus because his intuition said so. However, what surprised him was the fact that Ma was fascinated by Rasmus’ personality even though he knew what Rasmus had done in other continents.

"You know what the old proverb say? What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others," Ma said with a serious expression. "He will treat you like how we treat him. If we are being hostile to him, there’s no reason for him to spare us in the future," he warned.

"Then what should we do, Alliance Leader? If he’s alone, we have no reason to treat him like a threat, but as we know, he’s with Princess Anastasha. He’s not here for no reason, and even if he’s harmless or have no intention of causing conflict, he’s with the woman who wants otherwise," Ogun pointed out with his brows furrowed, knowing that the real problem was no other than Anastasha herself.

Ma didn’t say a word, and he was contemplating what Ogun said. He wondered if he could convince Rasmus to do something toward Anastasha so nothing would happen to the Heavenly Alliance. However, he had found out what kind of a person Rasmus was, he wasn’t a person who could easily be convinced or manipulated from the short conversation he had.

"I think it’s time for you to greet everyone, Alliance Leader. Everyone should have been waiting to see you. After all, it has been decades since anyone had seen you in person," Ogun pointed out as he slowly stood up and fixed his attire. "Shall we?" Ogun walked around his desk and pointed at the door.

"You’re going to think about this matter yourself, don’t you, Master Strategist?" Ma looked up at Ogun as he slowly stood up.

"That’s my duty as a strategist, Alliance Leader. I’m still young, and I still have enough energy to handle all matters. Including those things," Ogun sighed as he looked at the pile of papers on his desk. "Just don’t forget to raise my salary, Alliance Leader Ma," he said jokingly.

"Please keep reminding me that, I’m already too old to remember such matter," Ma responded with a soft smile and walked toward the door with Ogun following behind him. "I suppose the important thing right now is to make sure the tournament go smoothly," he nodded with understanding.