Chapter 70: Return!

Chapter 70: Return! "Aren’t we going back too fast?" Darek looked at the distance from Ken’s cloud and asked. "..." Ken didn’t reply, only looking forward. "Right." However, Darek nodded as if he had received an answer. Alex and Marwa looked at each other weirdly, not understanding what was going on. But they could guess what Ken was going to say next. They were here for the mission; now they were done, and there was no need to waste more time. Darek simply came to the realization that his question was a waste of words and didn’t really have to be asked. The village head and Ralf tried their best to keep them at least until they gave them a parting gift, but Ken remained firm. He had the schedule for their return already in place; if they leave an hour later, they’ll have to wait until the next day to catch the return ship. But now, they had reached the location or the path the ship passed from and could even see it from afar. Thus, the mission was carried out successfully, and way too smoothly at that. Darek was still in his mind trying to make sense of everything that had gone on, because had it not been for Ken, even if the top 10 were to gather together, they’d need 10 days just to come up with a plan and discover who the contractor was. The group got on the ship, and each went back to their room. Their group was supposedly done with their mission, so they didn’t really need to continue gathering. But, for the sake of the time they’ve spent and still have till they got back to the sect, Ken decided that they’ll still gather for meals two times a day. But then, he started wondering if it really was a good idea. "How did you do it?" "It doesn’t make sense; that devil looked so strong. How did you take care of it so fast?" "Why were we unaware of any of your plans?" "Did we force your hand? Were we really just a burden?" All kinds of questions bombarded him; from Darek to Marwa, everybody wanted to know exactly how he’d done it. Some things were very confidential; without his hints or the information providence, he’d need at least an additional day to come up with the plans he had. But, aside from that, he could tell them what really happened. In short, Ken’s plan was general, since they and he already knew the information about the devil in detail. He decided that only 2 parties would be in the know of who they were: the village head and the contractor, which was technically Darek’s idea. That way the village head would easily cooperate, and the contractor would drop his guard too much, thinking that either they were dumb to give him such information or they weren’t suspicious of him. Normally, a normal person would only make assumptions, but Ken had such vital information that he just had to play it right, but playing things right was a skill in itself. No matter who it was, they’d need serious skill to pull off what Ken did, and they’d have a hard time doing it. Still, the way things went so smoothly was suspicious; it was beyond comprehension how the events played out exactly how Ken wanted. But that’s because he had control even over the minor actors. He used the doctor’s lack of information about cultivators and his confidence against him. He used the devil’s weak point, its emotions, as well as his overwhelming strength that wasn’t possible for cultivators to have against it. And he also played it safe... way too safe. Even his teammates were used in two ways. One way to not get in his and Darek’s way, and another, against the devil. But out of respect for the little thing going on between Alex and Marwa, he didn’t speak about this matter, but he could see the guilt in their eyes. All in all, it was a smooth play of perfect planning and another example of how knowledge could be used to take down enemies and come out on top. The question posed is what Ken would have done had he not possessed all of these advantages. The information provided, the sealed mirage, the enhanced strength, and the perfected arts. The answer was simple: He wouldn’t have taken that specific mission, going for something that would benefit him in other ways and not put him in danger. In the end, it was about his tools and how he could use them without being put on the spot. ---------- At some point, by the end of the day, while Ken was heading back to his room, thinking of giving himself some well-deserved rest after not sleeping for two days, he felt someone following him. "Alex, come in." Opening the elevator, Ken called out to the young man whose expression spoke much of his hesitation. "..." Alex was not surprised by Ken, the genius you can’t begin to understand, and just silently followed him. The two went down to the premium lodge and entered Ken’s room before Ken went to bring both of them something to drink, and they sat on a small table by the edge of the room. "I believe you’re here to speak about the incident that went on yesterday?" Ken opened the topic. "Yes." Alex shamefully dropped his head in a nod. "It’s good to take responsibility as the man in the relationship." Ken joked to lighten the mood, but Alex was surprised. "So you know about that too? Do you fail to notice anything?" Alex almost covered his head with shame. Some parts of his ears started getting red, not because he was caught; he could care less about such small things, but because Ken didn’t leave him any leeway. It made him feel trapped between his hands, completely trapped. "Not something that has to do with my team, no." "But let me give you advice." ------End------