Three Scions

“-And look at this! If you want it to teach you a sword style, for example, you just need to place a copy of the style inside its cavity, alongside whatever else it asks for. Once that’s done… You have the greatest teacher available to teach you that particular sword style!”

“Isn’t it neat?” Xiao was very proud of his haul in the secret realm.

Edrick rubbed his chin as he looked at the rather mundane-looking wooden puppet.

At face value, this thing did not seem to be anything special. It just looked like a simplistic piece of art. It had no defined facial features. All that it had were very detailed joints and limbs.

Yet, this was an item promised by the script to Xiao.

As the crimson-eyed youth described, as long as you had the necessary resources and a copy of what you wanted to learn, this puppet could basically teach you anything you could possibly want. Moreover, as Xiao soon demonstrated, it was one of those items that were basically impossible to steal.

With just a thought, the puppet disappeared from where it was standing, supposedly stored directly within Xiao's soul. Truly, the protagonist’s stuff was oddly convenient.

This discussion was taking place on the terrace of a nice restaurant in Oie.

This wasn’t the first time such a meeting had taken place for Edrick. However, ever since he got married to Jania and Tylia, people recognised him at a glance–Especially since he already stood out to begin with.

Thankfully, people knew to keep their distance, but it still forced him to be more careful about what he was going to say…

“Xiao, did you think about my offer from last time? I have another trip prepared to Paradiso” the noble scion leaned forward against the table. Xiao immediately scratched the side of his face.

“You know, Edrick… I am in a relationship with Ai, and I wouldn’t want to-”

Anoteros threw his hands in the air with a small laugh.

“That doesn’t matter. There is nothing wrong with a man having a bit of fun! Besides, with your skills and talent, are you not planning on taking more than one wife? You know that cultivation power is very attractive for the ladies, right? You could definitely gather a good amount without even trying!”

Xiao laughed with a bead of sweat travelling down the side of his temple. Edrick was sounding a whole lot like his ghostly master right now… In fact, the old spectre was nodding along to what the young noble was saying.

“So don’t worry about her, and besides, there is more to this than just a fun time…” he leaned forward some more.

“I got Chang Sheng–The Candidate Sword Saint–To agree to come by. As a matter of fact, I just received a letter from him announcing his arrival”

Xiao raised an eyebrow.

‘Chang Sheng? Candidate Sword Saint? That’s a major character in the story! He isn’t supposed to show up for a while! Edrick got that goody two-shoes to go to Paradiso?!’

“Hum… If I may ask, how does that concern me?”

“Very simple. I met Chang Sheng in the secret realm, and the poor guy is just too powerful for his own good. So, I thought: Isn’t Xiao also an incredible talent? So I recommended that he meet you! I am certain you’ll make very good friends and sparring partners”

Xiao died inside a little bit. He couldn’t exactly not go now that Chang Sheng was involved, could he? Meeting and befriending the Candidate Sword Saint was an important plot point. Xiao ran the risk of spoiling it ahead of time if he did not go now.

“Just… Could we avoid having only one girl like last time? That frankly made me feel a bit uncomfortable once the effects of alcohol and cigars wore off…”

“That’s a shame, that would have been a great occasion to bond–But don’t worry, I decided to hire a lot of girls this time around… So, are you in or not?” asked Anoteros as he picked up his glass.

Xiao could only sigh in defeat whilst his translucent master laughed at him.

‘You’re supposed to be on my side, Master Chengzhe!’

“Well, maybe if you hadn’t hidden some things from me, I would be willing to lend a hand right now”

‘Urgh… How long will this go on?’

“For as long as I think it’s funny”

‘Right…’

Xiao looked at Edrick.

“Alright, I’ll be there… How many of us are going anyway?”

“Just us three, Shu won’t be able to make it” replied the noble.

And so, Edrick once again convinced the protagonist to visit Paradiso. The first time had been accomplished by taking the crimson-eyed youth by surprise. This time around, however, it was done by leveraging Chang Sheng’s name.

___

It was only a few days later when the prodigious scion of the Sheng clan arrived in Oie. His white hair and golden eyes make him quite a noticeable man.

And so, before taking a carriage toward Paradiso, the trio sat around cups of tea.

“So you’re Xiao, huh? You have a good eye, Anoteros! This young man seems to be quite the hidden talent, indeed! His cultivation level is a bit low at the moment, though…”

“I am telling you, test your pure swordsmanship against his, I think you’ll be very surprised”

“That makes me want to test it right now! But let’s not divert our attention. Where are we going today exactly?”

Xiao almost choked on his tea, but his plight went unnoticed as the two nobles spoke to one another.

“Ever heard of the cities called ‘Paradiso’?”

“I think I did, but what about them?”

“They are cities operated by a subordinate sect of the Elt clan. They offer a nice variety of services. I think you’ll find it most satisfying... Xiao and I already went once, and we had a great time, didn’t we?”

Xiao peeked from behind his cup of tea.

“Yes… It certainly was… An experience”

Chang Sheng tilted his head to the side, clearly not in the know about what Paradiso was all about.

“I am quite intrigued now! Let us go so that I may see this city for myself!”

Edrick led the way to a pre-arranged carriage. The three men climbed into its rather spacious interior… Well, spacious for Xiao and Chang, Edrick always felt a bit cramped inside regular-sized carriages. His arms and legs were just too long to fit comfortably.

“By the way, Sheng, what kind of woman is your type?”

The golden-eyed youth rubbed his chin in thought.

“A woman who can best me in a fight”

Xiao glanced at the white-haired scion.

‘No wonder he’s forever single’