The Almighty Ring

“Master Lucius, I will have our manager answer your question. However, I’m afraid the outcome will still be the same,” said the doorman.

“Stop talking, go and get your manager,” barked Lucius.

The way the doorman talked was not at all rude, but from Lucius and Rais’ perspective, he was being incredibly rude by not allowing them into the building.

After he found another to take his place, the doorman excused himself, “I’ll be right back.”

When the manager arrived, he explained the situation. No matter how courteous he was, he still would not let them in.

“I’m sorry Masters Rais and Lucius, I’m afraid I cannot allow anyone in without a proper invitation. Today’s event is very important and prestigious. Perhaps I could offer some form of compensation? Everything you do tomorrow will be all taken care of!”

Lucius groaned. “You— gah!”

Judging from the manager’s honey-sweet tone, he was not going to allow them in no matter what. Neither money nor their identities were important here. There was no face-saving way that would allow them to enter the building.

“Interesting,” Jiang Fei hummed.

He was not interested in the game, but in the entire scenario itself. He had only wanted to attend since there was going to be important personnel participating. That being said, there was no need for him to go out of his way to enter the building.

“Hmm? Mr. Jiang Fei?”

Just then, while Lucius and Rais were still bickering with the building manager, another group of men came out of the teleportation hub and headed towards the building. The man at the front of the group stood out so much, he was like a beacon in the night.

“Well, if it isn’t General Lockseed. I am here with some friends. It’s a pity that we cannot enter this place. I’ve heard that there’s something big going on in there,” confessed Jiang Fei.

“I was looking for you actually. I even dispatched a search team to find you! No matter, since you are here, shall we proceed inside?” said General Lockseed as he openly gestured to the building.

“With pleasure,” replied Jiang Fei, following after Lockseed.

He was mildly curious about the game, as it was so prestigious that even Rais and Lucius were denied entry.

“Greetings General Lockseed. This way please.”

After examining his invitation, the doorman opened the door for General Lockseed. As Jiang Fei and his two female companions were with him, the doorman proceeded to allow them to enter as well.

Lucius whimpered as he tried to follow Jiang Fei, “Sir! Please wait!”

“Hold your step,” declared the doorman as he blocked their way.

“Wait! We’re with Sir Jiang Fei!” whined Rais.

The doorman went silent. This was a difficult situation, as Jiang Fei’s name had only just been marked as a powerful one. He helplessly turned to the general. He had not stopped Jiang Fei from entering the building since Lockseen was a man of power, and he had invited Jiang Fei to join him.

As for Rais and Lucius, there were literally nobodies, nothing but frequent patrons of this establishment. Nevertheless, the doorman was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“Mr. Jiang Fei, who are those two?” asked Lockseed.

Rais and Lucius’ families were famous, but nowhere near the same level as the power held by General Lockseed. Perhaps he may have encountered the heads of their families before, but never had he met the other family members.

Jiang Fei stuttered, “Well… they are with me, sort of…”

Seeing as how they had ‘helped’ him earlier, it would not be right to just ditch them at the doorstep.

“Very well,” replied Lockseed.

He nodded at the doorman. Since they were Jiang Fei’s relations, bringing in two nobodies wouldn’t be too harmful.

“Thank you General Lockseed! Thank you, Sir Jiang Fei!”

“Thank you General Lockseed! Thank you, Sir Jiang Fei!”

The two alternated between thanking General Lockseen and Jiang Fei. After that, all humility was gone as they gave the doorman the stink eye for not letting them in earlier.

Once he was inside the building, Jiang Fei had his eyes opened, figuratively speaking. The interior of the building was incredibly posh, like nothing he had ever seen before.

He gawked at the opulent surroundings. “One can never be too surprised nowadays. Today, this. What will I see tomorrow?”

Jiang Fei thought that he had already seen everything there was to be seen, but clearly, he had only peeked at the universe through a keyhole. Be it the advanced society of the Namekians or the fighters of the Valsalrian Army, each society had an aspect that defined their core beliefs.

Namekians persued technology while the Valsalrians pursued power. In the case of the Trade Federation, their way of life clearly reflected the importance they placed on physical, materialistic fortune.

For traders in the Trade Federation, one could never have enough money. Ambitions are endless, and since time was limited, they would spend what they could to enjoy whatever time they had in extreme luxury.

As such, those who had the means to do so, would go all out. It was common to see rich traders going about their lives, enjoying spending their money on everything they could.

Lockseed smiled and started to talk to Jiang Fei, “Come, Mr. Jiang Fei. There is a card game going on and I’d like to introduce you around.”

“It would be my pleasure,” said Jiang Fei.

He then followed General Lockseed closely while Kaa’lna and Sarila followed from a distance.

“Psst… who do you think Jiang Fei really is? Why would a general be so courteous to him?” Rais whispered softly to Lucius.

The two were more familiar with the interior of the City of the Mass than their own homes, but not once did they walk faster than Lockseed. They did not even dare to make a squeak.

“No idea. Whoever he is, I’m sure he’s bigger than a general!” replied Lucius.

If Jiang Fei was a normal person like Rais and Lucius, Lockseed would never be so courteous. Perhaps Jiang Fei was a not-so-famous dominator of a galaxy!

The truth was not far from that. Lockseed did not view Jiang Fei as someone that important, even though he did bring a small army of powerful soldiers with him.

The might of the Trade Federation space force lies with the number of cruisers they have in command. The value of Jiang Fei to the Trade Federation was as a mere asset to the military, nothing more.

However, everything changed when a rumor was heard from the Valsalrian Army. Apparently, Aino had issued an apology to Jiang Fei to beg for his return.

This was huge enough news to rattle the entire Trade Federation military force. As such, the true nature of Jiang Fei’s identity was discovered—he was Theon’s disciple!

A while back, the name Theon meant nothing. But then, he had done something so outrageous that his very name now terrified those who heard it. He had stolen two of Aino’s personal vessels and sold them to the Trade Federations for a ridiculously cheap price.

To accomplish such a feat, Theon had to be someone of indomitable power. He was revered, as he had single-handedly helped the Trade Federation turn the tide of the ongoing war.

As such, a consensus was reached: Jiang Fei is to be taken care of. Even if the day comes when Jiang Fei chooses to return to the Valsalrian Army, they would still give him the best possible treatment, so as to not anger the great Theon.

If he did the same to the Trade Federation instead—steal Trade Federation’s core vessels and hand it over to the Valsalrian Army—it would literally turn the tide of the war again, and perhaps, permanently.

As one of the four great Fleet Commanders, Lockseed would do his best to keep Jiang Fei happy and content with the Trade Federation. He would even go so far as treating Jiang Fei as the same rank as himself, instead of a rank lower.