Ed traveled through several streets before stopping at a rundown bar in the ghetto. He pulled up the hood of the sweatshirt he wore and entered inside. He saw the captain smoking a cigarette while sitting in a corner of the establishment. There didn't seem to be any other soldiers or suspicious persons nearby. At least not suspicious for a ghetto bar anyways.
The bars only source of light was some dim light that filtered in through the dirty windows. The red leather of the bar stools and table booths was worn and torn from age. The wooden floor creaked with each step he took. He sat down at Fang's table. A glass of alcohol was already in front of him. He glanced at it for a moment before deciding not to drink it.
"Don't want it?" Fang questioned in a gruff voice. "Oh, right. I forget how young you are sometimes. You can't drink at fifteen. Want some apple juice instead?"
"I actually turned sixteen recently." He replied. He had grown a bit taller in recent months. He was still in his growing period after all. Though it was a bit hard for him to figure out how much he should adjust his artificial limbs as he grew. "Anyways, I didn't come here to drink. What do you want, Fang? I'm rather shocked you're not aiming a gun at my head yet."
"HAHA!" Fang banged the table with his hand while laughing. "Still holding a bit of a grudge for that one, huh? I called you here to talk about your new organization. Are you serious about doing the things you've said? I heard the entire speech."
"I'm sure." He nodded.
"Even if it means going to war with half the world? Do you think Europe would allow you to interfere with their slave trade? That is, if you can even fix the problems in America first?"
"I may fail. I may not. I don't pretend to have all the answers. However, I feel my odds are pretty good. Especially with my newfound popularity and the growing resentment amongst the people with the status quo of the country."
I see." Fang nodded. He chugged a shot of whiskey before grinning. "I'll have you know that I'm violating my orders from the top by offering this. I'm at least supposed to ask for permission first, but I've always been a man that's followed his own heart. Tell me, Ed. No, wait. I should call you Forge now. Tell me, Forge. Are you interested in forming an alliance?"
"An alliance?" He shook his head. "While it's true I want Sinless tech, I obviously can't form an alliance with them. It would contradict the values of Harmony."
"Ah, I'm not talking about Sinless." Fang smiled. "Do I really seem like the sort of man that would go around enslaving others? The type of trash that would deprive others of their freewill?"
"Yes." Ed nodded without hesitation. "You definitely do. I've experienced it first hand after all."
"Ouch!" Fang grimaced in response. "Still, I guess that means I'm doing my job well. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I'm Fang Hao. I'm a Chinese spy that has infiltrated the EU to save as many espers as possible while also stealing any technology I can get my hands on. Both the rescued espers and stolen technology are sent back to China whenever possible."
"What?!" He responded in shock. "You're telling me it's all an act? Even if that's true, why tell me of all people?"
"Simple." Fang responded. "I had a good feeling about you the moment we met. It's not easy for a kid to get a base running in a situation like Reef city was in. I also like what Harmony stands for. I think we may end up being very good partners in the long-run. Naturally, I want to strike a deal early on to form a strong alliance. You know, sending coal in the winter or whatever?"
"And you think the organization behind you would support this?" He questioned. "I don't know much about world politics, as I'm sure you can imagine. I wasn't even aware of the slavery issue in the EU until I met you. So, why don't you tell me a bit about China?"
"I think my sect would support it." Fang nodded. "China has closed itself off from the world ever since the start of the mana apocalypse. Quite a few changes have happened in our country since then. The communist party still rules the People's Republic of China. However, there are now sects that stand behind the government. They consist of strong espers that control the direction of the country."
"How is that any different than America?" Ed frowned. "Sounds like espers rule while commoners suffer just like here?"
"No." Fang denied. "It's completely different. In China we call the espers as cultivators. It is a great sin for cultivators to attack ordinary mortals. They've divided into completely separate societies with their own leaders and interests. It's rare for an ordinary human to ever even meet an esper over there."
Ed crossed his arms and closed his eyes in thought for a few moments. 'Is this the truth? Or a trap? I don't see what benefits he can gain if it's the latter. Still, some things don't add up...' He opened his eyes and frowned, "If what you say is true, then why did you shoot me when you thought I was an esper?"
Fang poured himself another glass of whiskey while smiling. "Tell me, Forge. Do you think I'm an idiot?"
'Yes'. Was the first thought that came to his mind, but he just stared quietly as he waited for the man to continue.
"I knew you were an esper from the moment I met you. I grew up around them after all. I shot you as a test of your character. If you blew your cover then I planned to cover for you while working to send you out of Reef city. After all, you helped the ordinary people there, so you couldn't be all bad. However, you surpassed my expectations and kept to your story. So, I naturally decided to play dumb as well."
"Then why did you almost attack me when you saw me shooting flames the first time?"
"I had all my men with me. I had to keep my cover even if it meant killing you. But you managed to talk yourself out of that one as well, though some of my men were suspicious of you afterwards."
Ed thrummed his fingers against the table. "You mentioned you were part of a sect from China, right? I thought you were an ordinary human and that humans lived separately from the cultivators there? So, how are you part of a sect?"
Fang grimaced for a moment before recovering. He sighed, "My father is the sect leader. Children of espers usually have the potential to become one as well. I didn't though. Still, I wanted to contribute to my sect and my country. I trained for many years before I got approval to infiltrate Europe. Haha! Now look at me! I can kick a lot of espers asses before they even know what hit them!"
"I see." Ed nodded. He paused a moment before speaking, "It isn't impossible for us to form an alliance, but what are the terms? I hardly see how I can be of benefit to China. I assume you would be handing over some Sinless tech in return for the alliance?"
"No." Fang shook his head. "I can't give you any Sinless tech beyond what I already have. It could get traced back to me once exposed. China has nothing to gain from you right now, but that may change in the future. Right now, we're still an isolated country. Only a few top hunters such as OP Baldy provide aid during the nightmare attacks. We don't have a great relationship with the other nearby Asian countries. The upper echelons refuse to work with American and European governments due to the clash of values. So, what we hope to eventually gain from this deal is a strong ally to help fight the nightmares. A strong ally that agrees with and supports our method of handling both espers and ordinary humans."
"Okay, but what's in it for Harmony?" He questioned. "Even if I have the goal of eradicating nightmares and I manage to take Harmony to the top, why should I waste manpower on forming an alliance with China?"
"Because of this." Fang pulled out a thin book from his coat pocket. It had shiny gold pages and a Chinese Azure Dragon on the front. "I have yet to find anything outside of China that compares to our cultivation methods. Europe has the greatest technology. America has the strongest espers, though that's mostly because you guys recruit all the good ones from all over the world. China has two things going for it. First, we have the most espers in the world. Second, our espers are the most mentally stable in the world."
"Oh?" Ed arched an eyebrow in interest. He of all people understood the mental instability of espers. He himself was a prime example! His mentality had gone through drastic changes ever since his 1st and 2nd awakenings. "So, that book is the cause of that? And you're willing to just hand it over to me for this alliance?"
"Right." Fang nodded. "This is a sign of trust between us. Besides, we have plenty of other manuals that are better than this one. Most cultivators prefer to find the training methodology that suits them best. The good thing about this one here is that any esper can train it. It can also be trained to a high level and will cause no problems if the esper ever switches to a different manual. So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?"
He eyed the manual while thinking. 'So, if I understand him correctly, then that manual is a systemized training methodology for espers. At the minimum, it can improve the mental stability of espers. It also sounds like it can be used to train to a higher level as an esper. America lacks this kind of training. We rely solely on our natural growth, combat, and 2nd awakenings to grow in strength... Still, I wonder how it can possibly improve mental stability? The trauma that a human must suffer to become an esper is bound to screw up anyone's mind. The only way I see preventing that is...' His eyes widened in realization. "Does that book allow potential espers to awaken without suffering trauma or other extreme emotions?!"
"Shh! Keep it down." Fang looked around and smiled when he realized that no one seemed to be listening. "This is one of the greatest secrets of China. We've actually made a few similar deals in the past. Unfortunately, none of them worked out. Some of our secrets leaked out and we had to get our sect enforcers to clean up those that knew the secret. So, you'll need to be careful, right?" He held out his hand for a handshake to seal the deal.
Ed glanced at the book with greedy eyes. 'Even if it's too late for the mental stability portion to help me, I still definitely want the training methodology. Otherwise, God knows how I'll ever catch up to espers as strong as OP Baldy." He grabbed Fang's hand with a firm grip and shook it. "I look forward to working with you."
"Great!" Fang handed over the book while grinning.
Ed felt a strange energy coming from the book. He glanced at the title. It read, 'Mortal Dragon Technique'. Fortunately, it appeared that the book had been translated to English. 'Did they prepare it in case of opportunities for alliances such as this one?' He stuffed the small book into his pocket. He could still feel an odd energy radiating from it.
"Waiter! More booze! Get us some chicken wings as well!" Fang called. A few moments later, some more food and drinks were set in front of them.
"Mm." Ed bit into a chicken wing and licked some sauce from his fingers. He had chosen to partake in the meal this time. The chicken wings were good despite it being such a sketchy looking bar. He no longer refused the drink that Fang ordered for him. 'So, this is what beer tastes like? Can't say I'm a fan. Is it an acquired taste?'
The duo finished eating and rubbed their stomachs in satisfaction. "Oh, right. I forgot to ask but how did you guys come up with these training methods anyways?" Ed questioned.
"We didn't." Fang shook his head. "Or more accurately, no one recently did. The original copies of our manuals come from ancient history. They were guarded and passed down all the way to today. When mana came to the world, some of our scholars discovered that the manuals' training methodologies now worked. In fear of the secret getting out, China closed itself off from the world."
"That!" He exclaimed in shock. "Doesn't that mean that there used to be mana on Earth in the past?!"
"Right." Fang nodded. "That's what our scholars believe as well. It's not just China either. Europe had wizards and witches once upon a time. Africa had their shamans. Other cultures all seem to have some inkling of magic in their ancient histories. We believe this is because mana once existed all over the world in the ancient past. Who knows? Maybe some other nations have rediscovered their old training methodologies as well."
"Mana is such a mystery." Ed sighed as he leaned back in his chair.
"Anyways." Fang stood from the table and placed down some money for the meal. "I've got to get going. Responsibilities of a captain and all that." He winked towards Ed, "Make sure to take good care of Terra. After she came into my custody, I planned on sneaking her into China when the opportunity arose. Looks like you beat me to the punch though." He waved as he walked away.
'So, he knew about my Terra rescue operation?!' Ed's eyes widened in shock for a moment before he slowly relaxed. 'What an unfathomable man. Is it because he travels a lot and broadens his horizons? I should travel to other countries someday as well. I'll search for the ancient training methods. It may help resolve some of the mysteries surrounding mana. I'll need a thorough understanding to increase my strength to the maximum and kill the nightmares. I wonder if nightmares have a mana-core? I bet I could make some fun stuff with whatever remains when I finally manage to kill one!' He smirked as he lost himself in his fantasies of his future. He would continue his research, kill the nightmares, and control everything beneath his feet as he ascended to power.
Ed traveled through several streets before stopping at a rundown bar in the ghetto. He pulled up the hood of the sweatshirt he wore and entered inside. He saw the captain smoking a cigarette while sitting in a corner of the establishment. There didn't seem to be any other soldiers or suspicious persons nearby. At least not suspicious for a ghetto bar anyways.
The bars only source of light was some dim light that filtered in through the dirty windows. The red leather of the bar stools and table booths was worn and torn from age. The wooden floor creaked with each step he took. He sat down at Fang's table. A glass of alcohol was already in front of him. He glanced at it for a moment before deciding not to drink it.
"Don't want it?" Fang questioned in a gruff voice. "Oh, right. I forget how young you are sometimes. You can't drink at fifteen. Want some apple juice instead?"
"I actually turned sixteen recently." He replied. He had grown a bit taller in recent months. He was still in his growing period after all. Though it was a bit hard for him to figure out how much he should adjust his artificial limbs as he grew. "Anyways, I didn't come here to drink. What do you want, Fang? I'm rather shocked you're not aiming a gun at my head yet."
"HAHA!" Fang banged the table with his hand while laughing. "Still holding a bit of a grudge for that one, huh? I called you here to talk about your new organization. Are you serious about doing the things you've said? I heard the entire speech."
"I'm sure." He nodded.
"Even if it means going to war with half the world? Do you think Europe would allow you to interfere with their slave trade? That is, if you can even fix the problems in America first?"
"I may fail. I may not. I don't pretend to have all the answers. However, I feel my odds are pretty good. Especially with my newfound popularity and the growing resentment amongst the people with the status quo of the country."
I see." Fang nodded. He chugged a shot of whiskey before grinning. "I'll have you know that I'm violating my orders from the top by offering this. I'm at least supposed to ask for permission first, but I've always been a man that's followed his own heart. Tell me, Ed. No, wait. I should call you Forge now. Tell me, Forge. Are you interested in forming an alliance?"
"An alliance?" He shook his head. "While it's true I want Sinless tech, I obviously can't form an alliance with them. It would contradict the values of Harmony."
"Ah, I'm not talking about Sinless." Fang smiled. "Do I really seem like the sort of man that would go around enslaving others? The type of trash that would deprive others of their freewill?"
"Yes." Ed nodded without hesitation. "You definitely do. I've experienced it first hand after all."
"Ouch!" Fang grimaced in response. "Still, I guess that means I'm doing my job well. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I'm Fang Hao. I'm a Chinese spy that has infiltrated the EU to save as many espers as possible while also stealing any technology I can get my hands on. Both the rescued espers and stolen technology are sent back to China whenever possible."
"What?!" He responded in shock. "You're telling me it's all an act? Even if that's true, why tell me of all people?"
"Simple." Fang responded. "I had a good feeling about you the moment we met. It's not easy for a kid to get a base running in a situation like Reef city was in. I also like what Harmony stands for. I think we may end up being very good partners in the long-run. Naturally, I want to strike a deal early on to form a strong alliance. You know, sending coal in the winter or whatever?"
"And you think the organization behind you would support this?" He questioned. "I don't know much about world politics, as I'm sure you can imagine. I wasn't even aware of the slavery issue in the EU until I met you. So, why don't you tell me a bit about China?"
"I think my sect would support it." Fang nodded. "China has closed itself off from the world ever since the start of the mana apocalypse. Quite a few changes have happened in our country since then. The communist party still rules the People's Republic of China. However, there are now sects that stand behind the government. They consist of strong espers that control the direction of the country."
"How is that any different than America?" Ed frowned. "Sounds like espers rule while commoners suffer just like here?"
"No." Fang denied. "It's completely different. In China we call the espers as cultivators. It is a great sin for cultivators to attack ordinary mortals. They've divided into completely separate societies with their own leaders and interests. It's rare for an ordinary human to ever even meet an esper over there."
Ed crossed his arms and closed his eyes in thought for a few moments. 'Is this the truth? Or a trap? I don't see what benefits he can gain if it's the latter. Still, some things don't add up...' He opened his eyes and frowned, "If what you say is true, then why did you shoot me when you thought I was an esper?"
Fang poured himself another glass of whiskey while smiling. "Tell me, Forge. Do you think I'm an idiot?"
'Yes'. Was the first thought that came to his mind, but he just stared quietly as he waited for the man to continue.
"I knew you were an esper from the moment I met you. I grew up around them after all. I shot you as a test of your character. If you blew your cover then I planned to cover for you while working to send you out of Reef city. After all, you helped the ordinary people there, so you couldn't be all bad. However, you surpassed my expectations and kept to your story. So, I naturally decided to play dumb as well."
"Then why did you almost attack me when you saw me shooting flames the first time?"
"I had all my men with me. I had to keep my cover even if it meant killing you. But you managed to talk yourself out of that one as well, though some of my men were suspicious of you afterwards."
Ed thrummed his fingers against the table. "You mentioned you were part of a sect from China, right? I thought you were an ordinary human and that humans lived separately from the cultivators there? So, how are you part of a sect?"
Fang grimaced for a moment before recovering. He sighed, "My father is the sect leader. Children of espers usually have the potential to become one as well. I didn't though. Still, I wanted to contribute to my sect and my country. I trained for many years before I got approval to infiltrate Europe. Haha! Now look at me! I can kick a lot of espers asses before they even know what hit them!"
"I see." Ed nodded. He paused a moment before speaking, "It isn't impossible for us to form an alliance, but what are the terms? I hardly see how I can be of benefit to China. I assume you would be handing over some Sinless tech in return for the alliance?"
"No." Fang shook his head. "I can't give you any Sinless tech beyond what I already have. It could get traced back to me once exposed. China has nothing to gain from you right now, but that may change in the future. Right now, we're still an isolated country. Only a few top hunters such as OP Baldy provide aid during the nightmare attacks. We don't have a great relationship with the other nearby Asian countries. The upper echelons refuse to work with American and European governments due to the clash of values. So, what we hope to eventually gain from this deal is a strong ally to help fight the nightmares. A strong ally that agrees with and supports our method of handling both espers and ordinary humans."
"Okay, but what's in it for Harmony?" He questioned. "Even if I have the goal of eradicating nightmares and I manage to take Harmony to the top, why should I waste manpower on forming an alliance with China?"
"Because of this." Fang pulled out a thin book from his coat pocket. It had shiny gold pages and a Chinese Azure Dragon on the front. "I have yet to find anything outside of China that compares to our cultivation methods. Europe has the greatest technology. America has the strongest espers, though that's mostly because you guys recruit all the good ones from all over the world. China has two things going for it. First, we have the most espers in the world. Second, our espers are the most mentally stable in the world."
"Oh?" Ed arched an eyebrow in interest. He of all people understood the mental instability of espers. He himself was a prime example! His mentality had gone through drastic changes ever since his 1st and 2nd awakenings. "So, that book is the cause of that? And you're willing to just hand it over to me for this alliance?"
"Right." Fang nodded. "This is a sign of trust between us. Besides, we have plenty of other manuals that are better than this one. Most cultivators prefer to find the training methodology that suits them best. The good thing about this one here is that any esper can train it. It can also be trained to a high level and will cause no problems if the esper ever switches to a different manual. So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?"
He eyed the manual while thinking. 'So, if I understand him correctly, then that manual is a systemized training methodology for espers. At the minimum, it can improve the mental stability of espers. It also sounds like it can be used to train to a higher level as an esper. America lacks this kind of training. We rely solely on our natural growth, combat, and 2nd awakenings to grow in strength... Still, I wonder how it can possibly improve mental stability? The trauma that a human must suffer to become an esper is bound to screw up anyone's mind. The only way I see preventing that is...' His eyes widened in realization. "Does that book allow potential espers to awaken without suffering trauma or other extreme emotions?!"
"Shh! Keep it down." Fang looked around and smiled when he realized that no one seemed to be listening. "This is one of the greatest secrets of China. We've actually made a few similar deals in the past. Unfortunately, none of them worked out. Some of our secrets leaked out and we had to get our sect enforcers to clean up those that knew the secret. So, you'll need to be careful, right?" He held out his hand for a handshake to seal the deal.
Ed glanced at the book with greedy eyes. 'Even if it's too late for the mental stability portion to help me, I still definitely want the training methodology. Otherwise, God knows how I'll ever catch up to espers as strong as OP Baldy." He grabbed Fang's hand with a firm grip and shook it. "I look forward to working with you."
"Great!" Fang handed over the book while grinning.
Ed felt a strange energy coming from the book. He glanced at the title. It read, 'Mortal Dragon Technique'. Fortunately, it appeared that the book had been translated to English. 'Did they prepare it in case of opportunities for alliances such as this one?' He stuffed the small book into his pocket. He could still feel an odd energy radiating from it.
"Waiter! More booze! Get us some chicken wings as well!" Fang called. A few moments later, some more food and drinks were set in front of them.
"Mm." Ed bit into a chicken wing and licked some sauce from his fingers. He had chosen to partake in the meal this time. The chicken wings were good despite it being such a sketchy looking bar. He no longer refused the drink that Fang ordered for him. 'So, this is what beer tastes like? Can't say I'm a fan. Is it an acquired taste?'
The duo finished eating and rubbed their stomachs in satisfaction. "Oh, right. I forgot to ask but how did you guys come up with these training methods anyways?" Ed questioned.
"We didn't." Fang shook his head. "Or more accurately, no one recently did. The original copies of our manuals come from ancient history. They were guarded and passed down all the way to today. When mana came to the world, some of our scholars discovered that the manuals' training methodologies now worked. In fear of the secret getting out, China closed itself off from the world."
"That!" He exclaimed in shock. "Doesn't that mean that there used to be mana on Earth in the past?!"
"Right." Fang nodded. "That's what our scholars believe as well. It's not just China either. Europe had wizards and witches once upon a time. Africa had their shamans. Other cultures all seem to have some inkling of magic in their ancient histories. We believe this is because mana once existed all over the world in the ancient past. Who knows? Maybe some other nations have rediscovered their old training methodologies as well."
"Mana is such a mystery." Ed sighed as he leaned back in his chair.
"Anyways." Fang stood from the table and placed down some money for the meal. "I've got to get going. Responsibilities of a captain and all that." He winked towards Ed, "Make sure to take good care of Terra. After she came into my custody, I planned on sneaking her into China when the opportunity arose. Looks like you beat me to the punch though." He waved as he walked away.
'So, he knew about my Terra rescue operation?!' Ed's eyes widened in shock for a moment before he slowly relaxed. 'What an unfathomable man. Is it because he travels a lot and broadens his horizons? I should travel to other countries someday as well. I'll search for the ancient training methods. It may help resolve some of the mysteries surrounding mana. I'll need a thorough understanding to increase my strength to the maximum and kill the nightmares. I wonder if nightmares have a mana-core? I bet I could make some fun stuff with whatever remains when I finally manage to kill one!' He smirked as he lost himself in his fantasies of his future. He would continue his research, kill the nightmares, and control everything beneath his feet as he ascended to power.
