As John and the others left through the main gates of the Alliance Headquarters, he couldn’t help but stare at someone standing directly outside the gates with his head bowed. John raised an eyebrow as he inspected Kadin, the Starforge Clan genius, who stood there as if he were nothing but a servant.
“Follow us,” Adam instructed, which Kadin immediately did as he was told and followed behind, his head still bowed down to the ground.
“I have to admit, I never thought someone like Kadin would allow a slave-contract to be planted on his soul,” John said, although he felt no sympathy for Kadin, as this outcome was the consequence of his own actions.
“What did you do to make him accept the slave-contract?” John asked Adam curiously.
He could tell that Adam had matured greatly since his ‘death’ in the Jade Dragon Empire Realm. He carried himself with much more self-confidence, and no longer seemed like a miscreant childlike before.
“Nothing really,” Adam replied as he glanced sideways at Kadin. “After I was done…. questioning him, I was just about to kill him when he pleaded for mercy. He was the one who suggested having a slave-contract planted on him. Can you believe it? The genius of the Starforge Clan, willingly accepting a slave-contract. How pathetic,” Adam spat out with disdain.
John stared at Adam and then Kadin for a moment, not accepting it to have gone like that. He would have assumed that Adam tortured him into accepting it, but the truth was quite different.
“Does the Starforge Clan have a way to undo slave-contracts?” John asked curiously.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Adam replied. “I’ve never heard of anything like that before. Besides, if they try to mess with the slave-contract, I’ll immediately feel it and just snuff out his soul instead.”
“So what’s your plan for him?” John asked another question.
“I’ll send him back to the Starforge Clan, to act as a spy for me. I want to know everything about what happened to my parents, and I can think of no better way to obtain that information. In the eyes of Kadin’s father and the rest of the clan, he’ll still be their Young Master and future clan leader…for now,” Adam replied.
“That’s actually not a bad plan,” John mused, “but what if they detect the soul-contract? Won’t it all be for nothing then?”
“I doubt they’d ever even think that Kadin would accept a soul-contract, so they shouldn’t even look for it. Unless once looks very closely into another’s soul, detecting a slave-contract is near impossible, even for someone as powerful as his father. And since I control his every action, he won’t be allowed to even breathe a word of all this, so them finding out shouldn’t happen,” Adam explained as he glanced at Kadin again.
“Isn’t that right? You’re to be my perfect dog, spying on your own family for me! How pathetic,” Adam asked Kadin.
“Yes, Master Adam,” Kadin replied quickly, as if he didn’t dare upset Adam.
The group continued to walk through the sprawling city, passing by grandiose buildings, bustling marketplaces, quiet lakes surrounded by lush parks, and more as they discussed various things, including the fact that the reservation was booked by Laia and that her, Iseria, and Iris were waiting for them there. After walking nearly a dozen miles through the city, the group stopped before a pagoda, ten stories tall.
The pagoda had gold walls, black and red eaves, and had ornate carvings and designs all over it, making it look very elegant and luxurious. John gazed at the building for a moment, and read the signboard above the entrance which seemed to have been hand-written by a calligraphy master.
“Divine Dragon Restaurant!” it read, while John nodded his head in approval at the name.
The group walked up the smooth stairs to the top, where two well-dressed attendants stood before the front entrance.
“Do you have a reservation?” one of the attendants asked.
“Ah, yes. It’s under Laia Celestria,” Miko replied.
“Ah, right this way,” the attendant replied hastily as she opened the door and led the group inside.
“You stay here,” Adam instructed Kadin, who nodded his head and stood to the side of the building silently.
The group entered the restaurant and followed the attendant up the stairs located on the side of the sprawling restaurant floor. The restaurant interior was even more luxurious than the interior, and John started to see why it was considered the number one restaurant in the massive city. It had a darkish-candlelight ambiance within, adding to the charm.
A rich and fragrant aroma entered his nose, making him hungry despite the fact that Heaven Tribulation cultivators did not need to eat to survive.
“Celestria? Is that Laia’s last name?” John asked Miko curiously as they continued to talk up the stairs.
“You…you spent who knows how long with her, and you never knew that?” Miko asked in a flabbergasted manner.
“I guess. I mean I just called her Laia,” John said as he shrugged his shoulders, while Miko stared at him as if he were stupid. “I just figured her last name would be…Astral or something, I don’t know.”
“John has always been quite…dense,” Adam chimed in, not missing the opportunity to poke fun at his friend.
“You can say that again,” Miko agreed, at which point the two broke out into laughter. The attendant led them to the very top of the restaurant, the tenth food, which contained only several well-decorated tables.
All the tables were empty except for one, indicating that the entire floor had been reserved by Laia. John could only wonder how expensive reserving an entire floor of the number one restaurant in Alliance City could be, but if there was anyone who could do such a thing, it was most definitely the princess of a powerful empire.
Laia, Iris, and Iseria sat at the table, giggling and laughing as they were clearly discussing something. On Laia’s lap was Kirii, who had changed his shape into a small-wolf like cub, and was purring contently as Laia pet him gently.
“You’re finally here!” Iris smiled and exclaimed as she noticed their arrival, while Iris and Iseria smiled as well as they watched the group approach.
“Sorry it took so long, but it took forever to find this buffoon,” Miko stated as he glanced sideways at John.
The group quickly seated themselves, and boisterous discussions broke out as the group began to discuss various things. Everything that had happened within the realm was discussed, bringing laughter, tears, sorrow, and joy into the room. At the same time, exquisite and delicious food was constantly served, which John could only admit was the best food he had ever tasted in his life.
Drink was also served, infused with alchemy skills that even Chase had to admit was impressive, as the group merrily celebrated.
After discussing these things for several hours, the mood was starting to quiet down, and Adam couldn’t help but ask John a question.
“So, what did that elderly man bring you into the Alliance Headquarters for? Is he really the Head of the Honorable Alliance as others were saying?” he asked curiously, a question that had been on everyone’s mind.
“Oh, that. He just wanted to get my side of the events sorted out,” John replied casually as he took another sip of wine, “and he also offered me the Prime Disciple position.”
“What!!!”