Mingzhi straightened her back and walked back to him, the cold glint in her eyes turning soft, "Soulscouring is too dangerous. He is in essence, the most significant heir to the True Peak Emporium, and the secrets he knows are plenty. A Primarch's soul would be slumbering inside him, rattled if his memories were to be accessed."
"I'm not going to do that, not because I can't dissolve the transcendent mark despite the danger, but for better or worse, if we're going to use him for the major part of the future, then he needs to have the slightest bit of dignity left. Otherwise, a supreme genius and a powerful merchant like him would undoubtedly retaliate in the worst way possible at the slightest opportunity. His insanity will make him act out of his interests, bordering on self-harm while taking us down with him."
Hearing his words, Mingzhi thought for a moment before she nodded.
It was unlikely there was a powerful Primarch soul residing in Young Master Ragoon. Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible for him to head inside the secret realm. However, that didn't mean that the Primarch's soul can't manifest when going through memories, which means sorting through information, which means infringing upon one's karma.
In other words, a karmic descent.
A Primarch wasn't going to appear here in full form, but it was still a Primarch-level soul. If it manifested, a killmark would be left for sure, but the world was big. They might even leave powerful curses that their law comprehension wouldn't be able to resolve.
Although she had the confidence that Davis could deal with such a thing, she didn't want to take the risk.
Davis strode forward.
With a cold glint in his eyes, he spoke, "I'm not the one to let go of someone who tried to target my women, but seeing that you have received punishment sufficiently and are hoping to turn a new leaf and serve me, I can make an exception and spare you from death."
"…"
Young Master Ragoon's expression was steely.
When had he agreed to serve him? He just said he'll do anything, meaning he'll owe him a huge favor or two and not wallow in servitude.
However, he nodded, knowing he should keep his mouth shut at this instant.
"Your intentions to retaliate upon release couldn't be any clearer."
"What!? I'm trying to want to have nothing to do with you and couldn't wait to leave this place!"
Young Master Ragoon roared.
"I know." Davis perfunctorily nodded, "But the embers of wanting to take revenge are still burning within you. Unless you absolutely drench this flame, don't think about leaving. You will stay here eternally if you have to- become a bargaining chip with the True Peak Emporium."
Young Master Ragoon's expression scrunched. He went silent for a moment before he sighed.
"I might be first in place and the favored candidate to become the heir, but to my grandfather, everything can be traded, even his own life. He will simply abandon me if the price is too much to bear. His favorite saying was- to near the peak, anything is tradeable. To near the apex, anything is discardable."
He trembled ever so lightly, his eyes dilating.
Davis could tell that Young Master Ragoon was scared of his grandfather.
He knew that his grandfather was the current head of the True Peak Emporium. The information said that he should be peak Autarch, but Davis naturally knew that due to karmic burden, it wasn't openly revealed. It meant that he was a Primarch.
"What about you? Do you think your life is discardable?" Davis smirked.
His invisible waves of Heart Intent crashed against Young Master Ragoon, manipulating him to answer his questions while not even being aware of it while at the same time, thoroughly monitoring his emotions as though it was keeping a check on his pulse rate.
Each and every emotion was visible to Davis.
Fear, hate, anger, hope, grievance and wrath. One could get addicted to feeling these emotions from others, so Heart Intent users usually turn into a cold and calculating sociopath or, even worse, a psychopath. Although they might be able to sense emotions and form empathy, it would be for their enjoyment or remorse rather than innately caring for the other party.
In that case, it would no longer be sympathy but just deriving entertainment from the success or plight of others.
This was also one of the reasons Davis didn't want Mingzhi to torture Young Master Ragoon.
It would be fine if she increased her insights into Enigmatic Heart Laws, but getting addicted to hurting others and sensing their fear would only cause her to sink into the realm of a sociopath or similar anti-social personality disorder. He didn't want her to become someone like that.
Just because a person has learned Enigmatic Heart Laws doesn't mean that they're infallible among other humans. He had read many records where it causes them to go insane and even make bad decisions from having too many emotions cloud their minds. It was like being burned by their own fire.
Back then, he remembered Ancestor Tirea Snow's master was one such person who took bad decisions.
He was worried that the Malevolent Darkness Physique would play a big role in Mingzhi's corruption of the mind, but fortunately, it had been mutated by Guardian Zera Nullheart of the Aurora Cloud Gate. Although he felt it was no longer a problem, Mingzhi had always been the most insane and daring among his wives, so he felt the need to pull her back from going deep into the corruption hole.
"Obviously not. That old fart had lived a long life, but I'm just nineteen years old! In no way am I going to die here!"
Young Master Ragoon roared, his expression shuddering, "Release me. I will do anything in return. Treasures? However many you want. Ask, and you shall be given as long as it is below the next stage after the Autarch Stage."
"Are you not afraid you will implicate the True Peak Emporium?"
Young Master Ragoon's eyes turned bloodshot, "Although I don't agree with that old fart, I understand that many things are discardable, and to me, the True Peak Emporium is discardable because I'm confident I can create my own!"
"…"
Davis raised his brows as he kept a languid smile on his face.
That was true. No- it was better to say that Young Master Ragoon just decided on that now, resolved himself to sacrifice the True Peak Emporium in exchange for his own life.
In other words, he was prepared to turn traitor to his power.
For the first time, he felt like he had underestimated supreme geniuses. Their aim was truly above their powers.
"What about me? Will you betray me at the slightest opportunity you get?"
"No way." Young Master Ragoon suddenly couldn't help but laugh boldly, "It better be the most powerful and decisive opportunity, or I'm not risking it against an Anarchic Divergent who destroyed the avatars of nine powerful Venerable Knights while still being in the Immortal Emperor Stage regardless of using strange artifacts or not."
"…"
Davis was impressed.
He had been indecisive on what to do with him but after hearing that, he wanted to play. However, he still lacked the weapon he wanted against Young Master Ragoon.
"I can let you go on the condition that you be favorable to my demands. However, let's see… what or who do you care about the most?"
"Treasures…? Keepsakes…? Father? Mother? Brother? Sister… oh, elder sister or…? Elder sister, I see."
Davis's lips curled into a wicked smile.
"You-!"
Young Master Ragoon's eyes turned cold as he clenched his teeth. He didn't want to say anything but knew his weakness was exposed when his emotions were sensed with Heart Intent. He didn't expect the probing to be so personal and done when he was passionate about surviving that his heart sank when he heard about his elder sister.
"Mingzhi, you have the information on his siblings on the list, right?
"I do." Mingzhi blinked, "But he has like eighty elder sisters from different mothers. Who's the one we're looking for?"
"…"
Davis was momentarily flabbergasted.
"You… dare…!?" Young Master Ragoon roared, his expression truly angry. He couldn't control his emotions and burst out.
"Probably the one who's most close to him." Davis instantly derived.
"I don't have much interpersonal information." Mingzhi shook her head, "Even obtaining their names came at a high price, you know. I've probably also left a few traces by trying to get such important information. The True Peak Emporium isn't here, but they have their secret branches and connections to nearly all the major intelligence organizations." Mingzhi pouted.
"Alright, alright. I'll figure it out with more questioning…"
Davis chuckled before he returned his gaze to Young Master Ragoon, who had an unexpected weakness for a merchant.
'He might not be so different from Lest Mistwalker, who cares about his little sister…'