"Sir Bolton. As you know, I received three privileges two months ago from the Emperor" said Ezra.
Bolton was shocked at Ezra's resourcefulness.
"You mean…"
"Yes. Using my third privilege, I'd like to keep these five not as servants but as Vassals. If they have as much potential as you say, what is there to think about?"
"Hmm" he had no choice but to acknowledge Ezra's demand.
Ezra spoke on.
"Thank you for your suggestion. I will see to it that they get appropriate training"
Bolton raised a brow.
"Of course, I will have you pay for any and all expenses incurred"
"That cannot be done" Bolton rejected.
Ezra gave him a weird look.
"You would leave such talents to rot? After you spoke so much about the importance of their training just prior? Will the Emperor agree to such arrangements?"
Bolton wanted to puke blood.
'This brat..!'
It was sickening how his words were turned against him.
'What to do? What to do? What to do?'
All he tried to do was maintain balance, but this brat kept resisting!
He felt stupid for allowing them to become Ezra's servants in the first place. If he had shut him down the first time, this would've never happened.
But how could he have known? Most of the maids came to the palace in the same way.
Unable to find a suitable reply, he groaned inwardly and reached a decision.
'I'll let you have this one. There will be plenty of opportunities later on'
"I congratulate you on acquiring new vassals. As for their training, I will see to it"
"No. As their master, I will be seeing to it, as is my responsibility"
Bolton popped a vein. There was something called shame you know!
Claiming responsibility for their training yet asking others to pay the price.
But Bolton couldn't say that. As it was within Ezra's right, he had done nothing wrong.
Once again, Bolton swallowed his discontent, not that Ezra cared.
"As you wish"
Ezra nodded.
"Good. Then I'll need two rooms prepared distinctly for males and females. Ah, yes, I'll also need a carriage ready within two hours. I'll be taking my vassals to the missionary"
Bolton nodded and left, while inwardly swearing never to make such mistakes again.
Ezra returned to his room, his vassals behind him.
"Well?" he asked.
"Does anyone have objections to the arrangement?"
They look at one another, before simultaneously shaking their heads.
Ezra raises a brow.
"Even you, saber boy?"
"Saber boy?"
"I haven't heard your names. Introduce yourselves"
Mace boy: "Theron"
Dagger girl: "Velora"
Gauntlet boy: "Ashton"
Everyone turns to saber boy, who reluctantly said, "Johan"
Ezra nodded.
"I'm Ezra. Lord Ezra to you anyway"
"How old are you anyway?" asked Ashton.
"Five"
"Oh so you're-what?!"
Everybody paused, stupefied.
"What about you?"
"Eight" Ashton answered with apparent shock.
"You?"
Velora: "Nine"
Roxanne: "Ten"
Theron: "Eleven"
Johan: "Nine"
"Now that that's done, apart from weapons mastery, what else can you do?"
"We're shifters" Roxanne said.
"Then why didn't you shift during our little spar?"
"Cause we can't…yet"
"Hmm, I don't understand"
"What do you know about shifters?"
"Eh?...I know they can turn their bodies into that of beasts. That they use the blood of beasts to grow stronger and have beast cores within themselves"
"Is that all?"
"Yes"
"You know nothing of our method of cultivation?"
"I just said you use blood to grow in strength"
"Huu…" she exhaled.
"It goes like this. Long before the golden age, shifters didn't exist. At the time, battles ran rampant taking too many innocent lives in its midst. Unable to become either mages or knights, a group decides to look for power where others never dared. Being able to survive all sorts of battle's, the power of beasts enticed them, and so they sought its strength. Years later, their efforts bore fruit and the first shifter was born. Neigan Keller was his name, created from binding the soul of beast and man together. Now, through the death of thousands, a stable cultivation method emerged…"
She noticed Ezra looking disinterested.
"*Cough* Anyway, we cultivate by absorbing the core parts of a beast's blood. That which contains it's bloodline and use it to reinforce our physique and abilities"
"What did I just say?"
Roxanne rolled her eyes.
"Our physique is better than that of ordinary folk, so we require high quality blood to advance"
"Good thing were heading to the missionary then"
"Oh? Look over there!"
A carriage of exquisite quality drew the gazes of commoners as Ezra made his first official outing.
Children were fascinated while adults were curious.
"It's a prince"
"Huh? A prince! Which one?"
"It has to be the crown prince. Who else can it be?"
"But there are five of them"
"What? Don't say nonsense. How can they be five? Do we have five princes?!"
"Eh…maybe they are their servants…?"
"Hmm, could be"
Ezra took it as a learning experience, the fawning gazes of children and the envious gazes of the adults.
"Well, how does it feel to be treated like royals again?"
Theron let out a dejected laugh.
"I hate it"
Ezra nodded.
The carriage was red, with the Niton crest on its doors while guards arrayed themselves, five on each side.
In no time, they reached the missionary, where they were immediately attended to.
Ezra gave no delay in listing out his needs.
"Let me see your highest quality weapons"
"As you wish"
A quick walk led them to their hall of weapons.
"We're here"
An expansive hall lay in front of them, almost a quarter of those in the royal weapons vault.
"Good" Ezra said and turned to his vassals.
"Pick a weapon"
The vassals stared at one another.
"I'll be paying for it"
Theron took the lead and headed to the section of halberds and mace's, quickly sifting through.
Ezra wasn't there to babysit them, the guards would do that, so he went to the artifact hall.
The rows of artifacts gave Ezra different ideas.
He had the assistant enlighten him on the uses of each artifact.
From rune stones, to Gold-rank mana scrolls, to disappearing ink, to mirror water, to combat art imprints, and many more, all with uses of their own.
Only, these uses didn't correlate with Ezra's needs.
Then a memory came to him.
That of him and Fredrick heading back after plundering chance stores.
'Hmm, maybe they have it?'
He turned to the attendant, who was blabbering on and on.
"Do you have communication items?"
The man's speech came to a halt as his mind whirred. A torch lit above his head.
"Well…we should have a few, but sales of such items are restricted by the royal family"
"OK…Then who am I supposed to be?"
The man felt a tingle down his spine.
"Apologies, I will have them ready"
He moved quickly, sifting through items to pick out a few.
"We have these"
He presented three scrolls held in metal cases and six round objects akin to compasses with carvings on its metal surface.
"So? What do they do?"
"These are Rottimer scrolls, able to teleport words between each other"
"And these are cyprus' sound compasses. With a bit of mana, it is enough to call for aid"
"I'll be taking them all"
"Yes"
"Give me that, that, that, that. Oh? And that as well"
Each item was high quality and, naturally, expensive. And Ezra took more than ten.
Thereafter, he took thirty space rings and ten soul scrolls of Epic Gold-rank.
"Take me to your herb collection"
Like that, Ezra picked as much as he could without affecting the Missionary too much.
Meanwhile, Fredrick and the rest had their hands full building the foundation of the Gold Slums movement and upgrading the guild all at once.
