"What about my son? Is he progressing the way we wanted him to? I would still want to proceed with our earlier plan if it's salvageable after capturing that thief."
Arthur narrowed his eyes and asked his servant. It seemed he was still hoping to continue with his project. The black-clothed man cleared his throat and replied:
"Well, we wanted him to focus more on his ranking journey. But it seems he is enjoying the publicity he is getting. So he is a bit busy bullying kids his age. But I'm sure that's just a phase that will pass sooner rather than later.
Jason is a smart kid for his age, my Lord. He'll soon see that ranking wars are nothing but a distraction for him."
Arthur nodded before asking in a grim voice:
"Hmm. That's good. Don't give too much credit to his wit, Oliver. He is indeed smart but doesn't know when or where to use it.
*Sigh. All in due time I guess. The hormones raging in his veins need to settle down to make him truly focused on his path. What about Isen's grandson? I had heard from you that he was no less talented than my kid."
Oliver pondered for a while trying to come up with words. But he reported his observations just the way he felt about them:
"Ivor Osan is more of a dark horse than I thought. He is growing at a tremendous pace as a ranker. We should consider inviting him under our fold."
Arthur shook his head and replied immediately:
"I would want to do it. But the man behind Ivor is a wolf in sheep's clothing. If Ivor can be influenced by me at a young age, he can surely be influenced by his grandfather as well.
Don't underestimate their relationship despite what the lad feels about his household or his dead brother. Blood is thicker than water, you know."
Oliver was silent after hearing his Lord's reply. The latter chuckled after understanding what his silence meant:
"Are you wondering why I sent my son to the city of Osan under Isen's care? One of the reasons was the project I ran in the Osan Woods. As soon as the project was finished, I wanted the kid on standby.
But it's also because I know Isen. Even if someone approached him from the shadows, he would never even think about harming my son.
Sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don't."
Oliver nodded at Arthur as he kept his head down. He gave a slight bowing gesture towards Arthur, got up, turned around, and was about to leave when he heard his lord's cold voice from behind him:
"Oliver, did any more petty attacks on Jason's life take place apart from the ones I know of?"
Oliver resumed his previous stance and replied slowly:
"No, my Lord. Um… the opposing force has stopped targeting Jason for quite a while now. Rest assured, we'll still be vigilant like always in protecting him to the full extent of our abilities."
Arthur laughed out loud when he heard Oliver's politically correct reply:
"Hahahaha! Opposing force you say, Oliver. That's my wife you are talking about. You know it. I know it. You can at least be honest with me when there's nobody around.
She thinks killing my talented bastard son would secure the future of the weak kids she has given me. Frankly, I want to punish her for the misadventures. But it can also serve as the reason Jason remains on his toes.
That pressure, that constant state of danger has contributed to his progress so far. I don't want him to get laid-back and lose focus anytime soon in his early years as a ranker."
As always, Oliver didn't reply to the comment. He waited patiently this time to get dismissed by Arthur. He didn't want to return to his kneeling position right after he got back on his feet again.
"Alright, alright. You can leave now. Make sure to tell Jason he'd need to prepare in case he needs to follow through with the project. Provide him with some resources so that he can go through another body cleansing.
And tell the Illuminati to speed up their operation too. That Ranker's Purgatory is a treasure trove. I still regret my choice to share its existence with them. Nevertheless, cultists are the best tools for this type of operation.
I've concluded that only a real demi-human can reap real rewards from that Purgatory. But I want to see how much the Anthropes can get from that place.
And keep an eye on the Illuminati too. Although we've worked with them before, cultists will always be cultists. They won't shy away from backstabbing us when the rewards from Purgatory are lucrative enough.
I don't want any mistakes this time. Clear-cut results, Oliver. Do you get it?"
"I understand my Lord. We'll make sure of that."
Arthur watched Oliver take his leave in silence. He remembered about Isen after his subject was inadvertently brought up. He had sheltered his son when Artur asked if he was willing when they had met up at the royal court one day. That was the reason behind Jason staying in the city of Osan.
Later, Isen discovered what Arthur was doing in the in his backyard. Instead of directly demanding a bribe to keep his mouth shut, Isen just let him know the fact that he was aware. This was another political move he had played on him, letting him decide the bribe amount.
Arthur still didn't know if whatever he offered was enough for Isen. Or if he was angry at him for carrying out a dangerous experiment on his territory.
Arthur thought for a while and then shook his head. There was no point in dwelling on the past. In Purgatory, the real reward was waiting for him to grab it. He wouldn't let it go away, no matter what.
With a million thoughts running through his head, Arthur started to leave too. He had so many things to plan and do in the coming days.. What he didn't realize is that the OWB he was searching so desperately for was also going to be crazy-busy just like him.