The Almighty Ring

“To the bastard Alexis, I’m here again! As always, I’ll be taking three things. However, since you’re not going to fix your habit of being sloppy, I’ve hired a handyman and given him two things as payment! Sincerely, your sweet loving father.”

The projection displayed the scribbles that Theon had left on the walls of the treasure vault—a message for Alexis.

“That piece of sh*t! What has he taken this time?” spat Alexis, fuming in anger.

“It matters not what he took. What you should be focusing on is the handyman he mentioned!” said Sarila.

“Handyman? What’s so important about that?” asked Alexis. All he cared about was the contents of his vault.

“The handyman in question is currently sitting in the living room!” said Sarila, crossing her arms.

Alexis gasped.

“Jiang Fei was his handyman?”

Sarila revealed what had been taken, saying, “Just so you know, Theon gave him the Type T Morphling Based Living Bio-Armor and the Latair’s Reaper potion.”

The only thing she did not reveal was the fact that she had already known about the robbery since just one day after the vault was breached. As Theon was involved, she was unable to solve the problem herself and had been looking for a proper time to tell Alexis what happened.

“I see… so that is how he managed to defeat the Grundel so easily…”

“Now do you see why I suggested that you end him?”

Alexis sighed.

“Sigh… it can’t be helped. He’s already affiliated himself with Theon, so what choice do I have?”

“Hold that thought. I have preemptively sent spies to his home planet and gathered enough information about his species,” said Sarila.

She launched into a detailed explanation of her findings.

“It seems that Ottogackt was right about him. And what he said applies to Jiang Fei’s entire species as well. They are ruled by their emotions.

Some get emotionally distraught over the most menial matters, while others are able to isolate their emotions when they need to make important decisions. That being said, they are still governed by their emotions.

Negotiation and compromise are the key to winning the Terran’s heart. If we take his family or his planet hostage, we might be unleashing an unstoppable force.

On the contrary, if we try to build trust and earn his respect, he will be ‘indebted’ to us.”

“What do you mean by ‘indebted’?” asked Alexis.

“It is a social convention. When someone does something favorable for another, the recipient of such a favor must repay the deed with an action of similar value.”

“Hohoho… it would seem that I have underestimated you! Look at how you’ve turned out!” said Alexis.

He arched an eyebrow and turned to Sarila with an odd look in his eye.

“How old are you?”

“349, why do you ask?”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but Caitians reach maturity at 350 years, do they not?” asked Alexis.

“That is correct,” said Sarila, keeping her face blank.

Something told her that whatever Alexis had in mind would not bode well for her.

“Tell me honestly, what do you think of Jiang Fei as your partner?” said Alexis with a suggestive smile on his face.

Sarila could not help but cringe at the idea. A marriage with the sole purpose of joining two houses or factions was a highly effective method of establishing an alliance. Earth was not the only planet that had such a practice.

“Father! Do you know how old he is? Less than two tens! I am 349 years old! In what possible universe could he be fit as a partner for me?” shrieked Sarila, her tail straightening as it tensed.

Since the day she realized her fate was sealed to forever serve Alexis, Sarila did everything in her power to improve her skills. Be it political involvement or even personal strength, she did her best and excelled in every way, all in the hopes of being useful to Alexis for as long as possible.

Alas, the one fate all females dread was about to be forced upon her. Her achievements now meant nothing. She was reduced to a mere maiden being unwillingly forced into a marriage she didn’t want.

“You shouldn’t jump to conclusions so hastily. You do understand that the two of you are of different races, don’t you? The Caitians take longer than average to reach a certain maturity yet Terrans only take 20 years.

Your age matters not, it is your mental maturity that’s important. It is obvious that he is going through his coming-of-age. From the looks of it, the two of you are suited for each other. I will hear no more about this matter,” said Alexis.

His mind was made up and his decision would be final. He didn’t even bother to listen to Sarila’s thoughts on the matter.

“But I…”

“Enough. I will not hear anymore about it!” said Alexis as he threw a cold glare at his adopted daughter.

It was hard for Sarila to accept as Alexis had always been good and fair to her. Yet, the man wouldn’t bat an eye at giving her away, all for the sake of maintaining his position.

Sarila nodded and retreated, tears sliding down her cheeks. She of all people knew what Alexis was like. Nothing but someone of a higher rank could persuade him otherwise. The decision was made and nothing could be said to change the outcome. If she were to run away, her entire planet would be doomed.

…

Jiang Fei had been snoring, napping, and simply sitting around for hours when Alexis finally returned. Even then, there were no signs of hospitality to be seen. No glass of water or a bowl of snacks. This was something that Jiang Fei was not accustomed to when visiting the house of a prominent figure.

“Apologies for making you wait so long,” said Alexis casually, with the kind of tone that only Han Tianyu would speak to him with.

Jiang Fei stood up and greeted him, “Sir.”

“Enough with the excess formality. I’m already 970 years old. It would be nice to be greeted with just a simple ‘uncle’,” said Alexis.

“Uhm… well… I suppose… uncle,” said Jiang Fei awkwardly.

Even with his permission, Jiang Fei could not bring himself to use such a friendly honorific for Alexis. The man had been nothing but good to him. Calling him uncle would be inappropriate as he should be his great-great-great-great-great grandpa!

“It took a while to figure out your situation. Since your strength has improved, it would be wise for you to just skip the trials. Let the youth have their chance. There is no need for you to further prove yourself,” said Alexis, patting Jiang Fei’s shoulder exactly how a grandpa would.

Jiang Fei acknowledged his decision with no objections, “As you wish.” He had no interest in overcoming the trials.

“So, for the time being, you will serve as one of my fleet officers. Sarila will help you get used to all the required procedures and everything else. Give me a few days and I shall arrange for your own personal fleet to command,” said Alexis.

He was obviously trying to get Jiang Fei to trust him more by bestowing such a privilege onto the Terran.

“Commander? Is that… alright?” asked Jiang Fei.

Even though pulling strings was nothing to be surprised about, such a big promotion was more than simply climbing the ladder. He was shooting up through the hierarchy at lightspeed!

“Alright? Of course it’s alright! Remember, the Valsalrian Army cares not for the weak. It should come as no surprise that you are now number two on Redstone. No one else could stand against you now. Do you think others would dare object to your command?” spat Alexis, reciting the same speech Jiang Fei had heard once before.

Power and strength dictates everything else in the Valsalrian Army.

“Speaking of which, where is Sarila? She’s taking too long…” barked Alexis as he turned around.

She was the true prize that Alexis was giving Jiang Fei. A fleet was nothing but a secondary prize for someone like Jiang Fei.

“I’m here,” said the Cait as she emerged fully dressed and all made up.

Her furry ears and tail were combed and straightened to look shiny and clean, while the clothes she wore were clearly meant to emphasize her bosom.

“Father, for what you have done to me, I shall return the favor. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth…” thought Sarila as she waltzed over to stand by Jiang Fei’s side.

Everything she had done for Alexis was all for the sake of saving her homeplanet. She never thought that her efforts would be repaid with her being sent off as nothing more than a prize.

Now, her decision was made. The reason she joined the Valsalrian Army, albeit unwillingly, was to save her planet. Jiang Fei would simply be a means to an end. She would use him and his strength for her own purposes.

One day, when she had won over Jiang Fei and he was nicer to her that Alexis ever was, she would return to have her revenge on Alexis!