Kent paused in his tracks as he heard the tower’s voice informing him there was another person inside the cave prison.
With his connection to Li Hua, he was able to pinpoint her location and even perform a vivid scan of the cave, but he sensed no one else.
If that was the case, did it mean his senses weren’t as strong as he thought? That was deeply unsettling. For a moment, Kent felt a creeping sense of vulnerability.
If his senses weren’t that good, wouldn’t he be in danger, especially if someone with exceptional concealing abilities came after him?
<Tower, how is this possible? I scanned the place but sensed no one aside from Li Hua.> Kent needed to understand before acting recklessly in the future.
[The master is indeed correct. However, the problem isn’t with the master—it lies with something deep underground in this cave. It possesses properties that interfere with the reality within a certain part of the cave.
The person is inside a cell that sits directly atop the treasure, so naturally, even a Root Great Sage wouldn’t be able to sense him.]
Kent raised an eyebrow. He set Li Hua down gently and whispered to her,
“Sit here and close your eyes. I’ll be back soon.” He removed her blindfold and retrieved one of the banana cakes he had bought for her, placing it in her hands.
Li Hua nodded and obediently closed her cute, tiny eyes.
Kent smiled at how small and delicate she looked before turning to venture deeper into the cave.
<Tower, do you know what this treasure is made of or what it’s called?> Kent asked.
If there was a treasure capable of disrupting reality to this degree, he had to claim it. The only question was whether he had the means to do so.
Or, more importantly, did he even know what this treasure truly was?
[I can’t determine the true nature of this treasure, but I can calculate how deeply it is buried. That said, I will be able to identify the exact treasure once your soul reaches Tier 4 and your cultivation base enters the grandmaster stage.]
<Good to know.>
Kent retrieved his sword and moved forward. Soon, he stood in front of a cell where a young man he had met before was tied up with enchanted chains.
“What are you doing here?” Jacob Ashland, the son of Dave Ashland—who had once tried to challenge Kent to a death match because the woman he coveted had chosen another man—asked, fear evident in his eyes.
“I should be the one asking that. Isn’t this place your family’s torture house? What are you doing here, and in chains no less?” Kent asked, puzzled.
Jacob appraised him and sighed.
“I left the family, and because I know too much, my family wanted me dead. But the people who were supposed to kill me changed their minds and decided to sell me as a slave instead.”
Jacob summarized everything, which left Kent even more puzzled. Still, he gave Jacob a thumbs up—at least he wasn’t entirely foolish and decided to leave the family destined to fall soon enough.
In truth, Jacob wasn’t as stupid as everyone thought him to be. He simply didn’t receive the same attention his elder sister did, primarily because of his average talent in cultivation. To his family, he was little more than a political tool to be used for their gain.
He was only meant to marry Lilian and then his family would take her from him and do to her what they wanted from the start.
So when he saw an opportunity, he took it and left. But he hadn’t anticipated his family coming after him, let alone wanting to kill him to silence him.
<Tower, should I kill him?> Kent had no problem killing him.
Leaving him alive held no meaning to him, considering he had already started making plans to destroy the Ashland Noble family for what they did to Li Hua and her grandma.
[The master may want to consider many things here.]
<Oh, do tell.>
[The master can consider bringing him to his side, where you can use him to learn more about the Ashland Noble family, which the master must destroy at all costs.]
Kent raised an eyebrow. It seemed the tower wanted them gone as well. Not surprising at all, considering the tower was meant to follow its master’s desires. It had to look for every opportunity that could help its master grow.
So, no matter the danger, as long as its master could handle it, it would use its powers to aid him. There is a saying: if everything is handed on a silver platter, one takes it for granted.
The more opportunities, the more quests to be given, which would all depend on how much stronger the master wanted to grow.
[That said, since the master doesn’t have a Slave Tower, the master can make him his servant, which would awaken the Servant Tower.]
<Servant Tower? How is that different from Slave?> Kent asked.
For some reason, he hated the idea of being a slave or having a slave. He might have joked about it with his master, but deep within, he detested the idea of having slaves or becoming anyone’s slave.
It was the last thing he had heard from the dark-cloth lady before he lost consciousness. Now, hearing he didn’t have a Slave Tower but a Servant Tower, he wanted to know the difference. He would rather kill Jacob or leave him than make him his slave.
[A slave doesn’t have free will, but a servant does. You wouldn’t be forcing him. However, the moment he becomes your servant, he won’t be able to betray you. But that also means you wouldn’t be able to kill him.
It’s a contract that will make you his master, but he can choose to reject the contract, in which case you wouldn’t be able to force him.]
<This sounds better, I think.>
Kent didn’t expect to have such an option. But at least, having him as his servant could prove valuable in the coming days. That said, the question remained.
Would he accept the proposal to become his servant? Bear in mind that Kent had already taken his dream woman from him, even if he was just being used as a pawn in a rather sinister game orchestrated by his father and his wife, Daisy.
The fact that he had lost the flower he so much craved should be enough reason to hate him for all eternity. But then again, Kent doesn’t need him as much as he needs him.
Kent didn’t truly need him, but he would be a great help if he was indeed going to take down a noble family. He would be a great help, indeed.
If only he knew this decision to add Jacob to his tower would one day prove to be one of the best decisions he had ever made. In fact, the benefits would start the moment he got his approval.
Kent looked at the chained individual and asked,
“Do you want to become my servant and serve me with all willingness?”