krakenian
patreon
TOSDAG Chapter 15: The City Lord (1)
🕑 Added 2025-01-07 00:06:34 +0000 UTCThird Person P.O.V
"Are you ready?" Huyan Xiong asked, standing at the entrance of his house.
"I think so, well, almost, I think the only thing left to do is…" Leek replied, wearing his new change of clothes, although his tone seemed a little less confident at the last part as he looked at the girl clinging to his arm.
It turned out that openly showing interest and affection to Lanruo was like throwing a lot of gasoline on a bonfire that was already burning with a strong flame, culminating in an explosion worth seeing.
And well, in this case the metaphorical explosion was Lanruo going from a flirtatious girl to something resembling an incredibly affectionate and clingy girlfriend.
Although it wasn't like Leek was complaining about it, at least not much.
"Lanruo, leave the boy, you've been like this all morning, it's time for us to go"
"Father, can't I really go with you two?" The girl asked with her hands on her waist and a disgruntled expression.
"No, I feel like if you go, I'll end up suffering from a headache that's too severe even for someone at legend rank, and I'd really rather avoid something like that." The patriarch replied, sighing just at the thought.
"Buuu, alright, I'll wait here, but father, you have to make sure to convince Lord Ye Zong"
"I know, you don't have to repeat it to me"
"Well, bye Leek, see you later." The girl greeted before hugging the boy with all her might and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll have everything ready when you get back"
Leek looked only slightly embarrassed before nodding, leaving a "See you soon." Before walking off alongside Huyan Xiong.
Once they were both far enough away from the house, the patriarch finally decided to speak up. "Hey kid, what happened? My daughter seems more… lively"
"Well." Leek started, not quite sure how to explain what happened yesterday. "Let's just say that after I bought my clothes yesterday, she started pressuring me a bit until I sort of agreed to the whole marriage thing"
Xiong raised an eyebrow. "Sort of?"
"Let's just say that, although I didn't say it outright, it was implied, and it's safe to say that she got the message, because she jumped on me at that moment, so I guess if everything goes well with the city lord, we can say that I'll be… engaged? God, saying it sounds weirder than thinking it, I didn't think I'd have to go through this at my age"
"Hahaha." The patriarch let out a good-natured laugh as he patted Leek on the back. "Really? Well, that's good news, and don't worry so much about age, considering you'll have to adjust to Glory City's customs and all the other problems, we can put everything off for a couple of years at most"
"I suppose it's better than nothing, though Saiyans prefer to focus more on improving their strength than studying customs or political issues"
"Tell me about it, when I was your age, I hated those lessons, but as annoying as they are, they are necessary, I hated to admit it in my youth, but knowledge is also power, spiritualists do not depend only on our brute force or demonic spirits, healing elixirs have saved more lives than I can count, and tempering and enhancement elixirs have great weight in our cultivation, inscriptions are part of both our daily lives and battles, and not to mention special tools or weapons, even your people, I'm sure the control of that energy you use and the fighting style did not come out of nowhere, right?" The man asked with good humor, as if he was trying to teach Leek something important.
"Well, more or less, let's say that Saiyans are… quite particular, it wouldn't be incorrect to say that we were made for war, we have an ease to learn and adopt as our own almost everything that has to do with fighting, obviously this varied between each individual, but from a very young age we already have a notion of our own internal energy and how to use it to fight, ah, that reminds me, I didn't tell you about this, I managed to learn it shortly after leaving your house." He said, raising his hand and materializing a blue energy sphere.
"I think I used something similar in my last attempt at a clash with the giant ape you saved me from, but this is different, it's more refined and has a slightly different use." He explained a little unsure, trying to remember as clearly as possible the first fight to the death he had in this world.
Patriarch Xiong opened his eyes when he saw the sphere of energy that disappeared a couple of seconds after being materialized, he vaguely remembered seeing a glow forming in the boy's hand when he saw him fight with the alpha of the pack of armed apes, but after they talked in his tent when Leek woke up he believed it was like that trail of light that covered him when he fought, only now did he realize that it was actually something different, and if he added to that the ease with which the boy learned different fighting styles as happened during their fight, then he could only say one thing about the so-called Saiyans.
"Boy, your village was really one full of cheating people"
"Hahaha, yeah, I guess looking back they were, but they were also a bit closed-minded, they never thought about the existence of anything beyond ki, I'm sure they would have been surprised if they had discovered the existence of things like inscriptions or the fusion with demonic spirits"
"Well, everything has good and bad points, I know very well that old customs are hard to change." The man said while shrugging his shoulders, the truth was that he quite liked Leek, and would be more than willing to adopt him into his family, at least he would if he wasn't sure that it could bring more problems than solutions for everyone.
After all not everyone would be happy that a foreigner who presented so many benefits was just handed over to a noble family, the other houses would see it as a way to monopolize benefits that could serve to improve the general situation of Glory City.
It was nonsense, but Huyan Xiong understood it, so he would leave the decision to Ye Zong, after all he trusted him, he was sure that he would make not only the best decision for Glory City, but he would also give merit and priority to him and his family because he had been the one who discovered and brought Leek, securing a valuable asset for their home.
The rest of the journey was relatively calm for both of them, an idle conversation from time to time, some jokes from Huyan Xiong to improve and ease Leek's nervousness, that is until a few minutes before they arrived, the older man remembered something that had been on his mind since he saw Leek this morning.
"By the way, kid, I've been meaning to ask you, those clothes, did you really buy half a dozen of the same outfits?"
Leek nodded with a confident smile. "Yes, my kind don't normally wear clothes like this, Saiyans seem to prefer things like armor or similar, but this reminded me of an old legend." He said touching his clothes.
"Really? Sounds like something interesting"
"Yes, legends speak of certain warriors, born in different contexts, one, an elite warrior, the prince of the Saiyans, the other, the son of a low-class warrior, who thanks to his tenacity and power, rose through the ranks until he assumed the title of squad leader, while the last was an exiled child, feared for the enormous power he demonstrated from the moment he was born, the 3 would be destined to eventually meet and face each other at different times, first as enemies, then as desperate allies, and finally as friends and rivals, they would seek to train and reach heights never before seen by any Saiyan, surpassing all established limits"
"Sounds like a good story"
"It was, it is, and as long as I'm still breathing, it will remain so, here in my memory, after all, names like Kakarot, Goku, Vegeta, Broly, Gohan, Trunks, and others are legends among anyone who knows that story"
"Well, it seems like you're making a real effort to keep your people's legacy alive as much as possible." Huyan Xiong said as he looked at the word written on the back of Leek's clothes.
"Yes, after all, I want to always keep in mind who I really am, now more than ever I've decided that I won't forget that even as I'm taking my last breath." Leek nodded, turning his head to take a quick look at the writing on his back.
The word "賽亞人" (Saiyan) was clearly displayed in the middle of the white circle on the back of his orange clothes.
"It's a difficult decision to carry the weight of what your people represents, do the best you can." And after receiving a nod from the Saiyan, both Huyan Xiong and his young companion finally arrived at the city lord's mansion.
They both passed through the entrance, walking through a large courtyard and garden until they reached a meeting room.
There, standing in front of the door was one last servant, who bowed his head when they arrived and opened the door for them, closing it as they passed and leaving just as his lord had instructed when he gave him the task.
When Leek entered the room, he saw a single man, standing in the middle of the room with his arms crossed over his chest and a serious expression, as soon as his eyes met the Saiyan's, the boy recognized a type of aura surrounding the man, it was not his power or ki, no, because while Leek could tell that this man was very strong, the aura he was paying attention to was one of seriousness, transmitted not only by his face, attitude or body language, but it was something that seemed to be imprinted on the very being of this man.
Leek could say without fear of being wrong that the city lord was a man who took his job of protecting the city under his charge VERY seriously.
"Ye Zong!" Patriarch Huyan's voice caught the man's attention as he looked from Leek to the older man.
His eyes softened a little, and a small smile appeared on his stony face. "Xiong, it's good to see you"
"Same here." The man replied with a short laugh, reaching out and bumping his hand against the city lord's in an act of masculinity and brotherhood.
"I assume you read the letter I sent yesterday?"
"Yes, and although I trust you, I have to say, I find it a little hard to believe, also." He said, glancing back at Leek. "He doesn't seem as impressive as you described him"
"Well, the first impression you have of him is appropriately dressed, and after having a few days of rest, the one I had was a little more… surprising"
"I suppose so, let's sit down then, there's a lot to talk about"
With that said, the three of them walked to their seats, on one side were Huyan Xiong and Leek, while on the other was Ye Zong, and for some reason, the Saiyan felt like he was in school, sitting with a family member in front of the principal.
"I will ask this question here and now, and I recommend you answer it with complete sincerity." The City Lord said, giving a brief glance to Huyan Xiong, who nodded in tacit agreement.
It seemed to Leek as if they both already had a prior agreement on how this conversation would go, and if he was sincere, it was something that was on the list of "things that could happen."
What he didn't expect was the pressure that fell on him, his eyes widened in surprise, turning to the City Lord, and despite the room being fully lit, a shadow seemed to be projected on the man's face.
"This will be your only chance to tell the truth, waste it, and the consequences will be severe." The pressure emitted grew stronger, stopping along with the man's words, and after a tense second that seemed to last an eternity, the question was asked.
"Are you a member, or do you have some connection to the Dark Guild?" The pressure emitted grew at an even faster rate than before, each word marking a new upper limit, and by the time the last word was spoken the amount of pressure reached a crescendo, causing Leek to sincerely wonder if this was how Yamcha had felt when he tried to train with 300 times increased gravity.
His teeth clenched, and his hands clenched on the wooden armrests, which creaked and cracked after a couple of seconds before the pieces fell to the floor, but no one said anything, the entire room remained in perpetual silence except for that sound.
But when it seemed that silence would return to total, a new sound made itself present, a layer of semi-transparent energy materialized, covering Leek's entire body, and in slow motion, the young Saiyan began to move.
His toes clenched as did his fingers while the muscles in his legs flexed until they almost tore in an attempt to lift him, the veins in his arms, legs, neck, and other places were marked by the effort.
Ye Zong, who noticed this, stood up from his seat with incredible ease, as a mocking contrast to the boy in front of him, his hands crossed over his chest once more, and he raised an eyebrow, he didn't say a single word, but the pressure he exerted on Leek didn't lessen in the slightest, the man seemed content to simply wait and see how things would develop.
Leek, for his part, was sweating, as he slowly, very slowly, stood up, it was especially difficult for him to raise his gaze, but after much effort, he managed to do so while he was still halfway through his task of standing up straight in front of the man in front of him.
But even if doing all this was taking nothing less than a Herculean effort, something deep inside Leek resonated, it was similar to when he decided to fight that pack of giant apes, he was in real danger now, he sensed it, this man could kill him with a single blow if he did it with all his strength.
His heart beat at a dizzying speed, his tail, until then coiled around his waist, came loose, and the fur stood up like that of the back of a cat that was ready to attack.
Ye Zong gave the appendage a single glance, not really flinching, even though he knew that this could represent a beast about to attack.
It was something else that powerfully caught his attention, the expression on the boy's face, he expected many things, fear, anger, frustration, confusion, and a plethora of other negative feelings.
But what he found was something else, because Leek had decided to respond as only a Saiyan teenager could do before authority and a clearly superior power.
With a smile as mocking and defiant as possible.
Still not fully upright, Leek managed to lift his face and look directly into Ye Zong's eyes with a toothy grin.
Ye Zong could almost hear the "That's the best you've got, old man?" filled with a stupid and youthful tone coming from that expression.
A vein popped out on his temple, and the man smiled back Leek, the same smile a father would give to a son who took advantage of the momentary lack of punishment, promising a really severe one when the visitors left.
And after this the pressure falling on Leek grew a little more, making his movement stop and it even almost seemed like he was starting to lose ground by crouching down a couple of centimeters, which made the smile of the city lord grow, going from "I'm going to beat you up when I catch you" to "What's wrong, is that all, brat?"
But that smile faded when, after a couple more seconds, Leek's body moved again, continuing with his goal of standing upright in front of Ye Zong.
It took about 40 or 50 more seconds, but Leek was finally standing up straight in front of Ye Zong, but the Saiyan didn't stop there, raising his right arm and forming a fist, Leek stuck out his thumb before lowering his arm and sinking his finger into his left pectoral.
"My name is Leek! The last Saiyan left in this world!! That's all there about me!! And that's all I am!! Is that answer enough for you, old man?" He said at the top of his lungs, maintaining his smile and not taking his eyes off the terrifying man.
X-X-X-X-X
Happy New Year to all of you, I hope you had a nice end of the year, I'm a bit busy myself, but little by little we'll get back to our usual schedule.
This chapter will be divided into 2 or 3 parts (I hope it's only 2), before moving on to the next point, I hope that what comes next isn't too heavy, since writing a lot about politics, rules, and similar things in fictional worlds is not something I do a lot, and I really don't think I'm very good at it, that seems to be the specialty of those who write things about the Naruto world and want to elaborate on how villages, countries and so on work.
Anyway, see you in the next chapter, bye.
