Tales of An Nam

chapter 9: Qi fighters (1)

The next morning, An Thần received a package at his house. Unboxing the package, the boy received a fine leather utility belt. The belt seemed to hold more items than he expected, Thần realized. The maker built many tactical holders and pockets to make it versatile in many scenarios. After that, Thần walked to the turf of the Pokemen; yet, before entering, he met a hooded figure standing in front of the turf, unwavering. The mysterious man seemed waiting for a person, Thần realized, but he seemed to have stood there for a long time. The mind popped some options - Thần ignored the mysterious man and bypassed; otherwise, he could conduct a social conventional conversation.

As Thần stepped forward, the hood figure realized the newcomer's presence; as the boy walked by, the figure spoke.

"A minute, young man-" the hooded figure halted the boy. "Are you one of the mercenaries they talked about?"

Thần silenced as the wind blew subtly on the hair. No one made a sound.

Ooooommmmmm-

When Thần heard the sound of a boosted bass, he failed to move his feet.

命令

The vivid, bright yellow-Qi characters flowed in the air.

"Walk with me-" the hooded figure commanded. "I have something to do with the top-dog here."

"What did you do to me!" Thần tried to gain control of his body, yet failed miserably. "Are you a Qi user?"

The hooded figure chuckled; started a conversational walk. The news spread afar that The Fervent Master had affairs with the latest PooCoins project. Since the investment funds burned to oblivion, the big branch demanded to retrieve the funds.

"What is the big branch?" Thần asked while struggling to regain control of the body. "What does it do?"

"The Six Magnificent (六华) sect-" the hooded figure broke down the concept. The Six Magnificent sect chose the best men to serve the greater good of An Nam. In the sect, one could learn the teachings of Đạo (道) – the origin mankind. Đạo posed the absolute principle underlying the universe, combining within itself the principles of Yin and Yang, code of behavior, to harmonize with the natural order. "Our sect taught man to a new enlightenment."

"So, you are an upper-man-" Thần continued. "What do you do next?"

"I have some work to do-" the hooded figure described the situation; nodded. "So, I need time to evaluate my decision."

The mysterious man cited a new mission, regarding the Fervent Master. According to the intelligence, the Fervent Master lately conducted some shady trades on the streets, including the debt collection. Therefore, the hooded man needed more information to finalize his reports to make a decision.

"What do you think?" The hooded figure broke the spell when both of them returned to the turf entrance. "You will benefit a lot from this, trust me."

An Thần scrambled in thoughts, looking for the right decision. The ghost appeared when the mind called for a seance, advising that the host had to partake in that mission. Perhaps, they could learn more about the activities of the subject, the ghost assumed, yet, the boy had to be cautious with the mission since it required specific skill sets. Gomboc, on the other hand, made no sound.

"Good-" the hooded figure expressed approval after receiving the answer. "Mercenaries will do what it takes to get the job done."

The mysterious man pinpointed the location where the subject would start doing the business. Per starting the mission, the ghost opened up the knowledge to give Thần some new skills.