The two potential allies once again found themselves in the Grand Hall, sitting opposite each other. They had just finalized the terms of their contract.

Now it was time to go into specifics.

“City Lord, I want the Herb Garden near the eastern gates.”

Ikasa immediately came to the point. The moment he had visited the property, he had decided to get its deed from the City Lord.

The City Lord looked at his aide, who whispered the details in his ears. After hearing what his Butler had to say, he looked at Ikasa with doubt.

“Are you sure?”

Ikasa tried to read City Lord upon hearing his doubtful tone.

‘Is he trying to dissuade me because of the rumors about ghosts? Or does he have anything to do with the previous owner leaving?’

Instead of speculating, Ikasa probed to see if he could get a definite answer.

“Is there a problem?

With a face that revealed nothing, City Lord asked,

“Are you perhaps one of those who want to get their hands on the Spirit Herb?”

Ikasa smiled with relief.

“Initially, yes. Then I realized that the incident happened 4 years ago. It is impossible for me to have fate with that herb.”

The City Lord nodded, and his tense shoulders relaxed.

“Then why do you still want that place?” The aide asked, perplexed at his decision.

“I visited the place, and I liked it. I want to turn it into my base in Birch city.”

Satisfied with the answer, the City Lord looked at his aide and asked him to prepare the paperwork for the transfer of ownership.

While he prepared the paperwork, the two men amiably chatted about the current situation. The tensions between the City Guards and the Hu Clan naturally came up in their conversation.

When Ikasa recounted the skirmish he had seen on his very first day in the City, the Lord sighed.

“I cannot put a stop to these clashes unless my City Guards can overwhelm the other forces convincingly.”

Ikasa’s eyes glinted at his words. He smelled an opportunity to make a massive sale.

‘I just need to butter him up a little.’

In a solemn voice, he began to convince the bearded man.

“City Lord, the guards I saw that day fought bravely in your name. Suppose you can provide them better techniques than the other two forces. In that case, they will definitely overwhelm any trash from Hu Clan or Monstrous Flame Sect.”

Flattered by the praise, the City Lord smiled. But he knew the condition of his guards the best. He sighed and vocalized his troubles.

“I agree with you. Except for one problem. Who will provide better Cultivation methods and Battle Techniques to my troops?”

Ikasa smirked.

‘Finally, you are asking the right questions, my dear Money Bag!’

Schooling his features, he faked his shock and asked, “Did I not introduce myself?”

The City Lord raised one of his eyebrows, wondering what his new ally was talking about.

“City Lord, I am a Merchant of manuals! I can provide your troops with the best Cultivation Methods and Battle Techniques, making them the most powerful infantry in the City!”

The grand words he spoke made the City Lord’s eyes shine. But soon, the shine in his eyes faded.

“What is the point of digging a well when you are thirsty? How much can my men improve in a month before the battle?”

City Lord waved his hand, dismissing Ikasa’s sales pitch.

“That’s the beauty of my manuals, City Lord! Your soldiers can become proficient in my Battle Techniques within a few days of practice!”

The City Lord still looked skeptical.

“Sense Trainer Feng, when did you learn your movement technique?”

Ikasa called upon his faithful warrior, who had earned the City Lord’s respect.

“Two days ago.”

The City Lord’s mouth gaped open. His eyes alternated between the old and the young, trying to see the signs of deceit. But his gut told him they were speaking the truth.

“Are you selling that Movement technique as well?”

“Haha, no, City Lord. That is exclusively for my people. However, you can choose anything from this list.”  He said while passing to the City Lord the same list he had given to Xin Ruo.

As City Lord browsed the list, his eyebrows jumped with joy and then furrowed. He looked at Ikasa with doubt.

“A low-grade Staff technique?”

“Yes, you read that right. I can vouch with my life that the description there is absolutely true.”

The more City Lord looked, the more shocked he became. There were a total of 17 techniques on the list. Each with description and grade, but names were absent.

The City Lord marked it as another quirk of this young man. But the reason was much more different than he thought.

Wisening up from his stint in the Sal City, he had hidden the names of these embarrassing techniques.

For example, this staff technique was called – ‘How to Clean up: A Janitor’s Insights’. He could imagine the consequences if a technique with such a name was presented to the City Lord.

‘Preposterous! How dare a junior joke with me! Get Lost from my manor right now!’

Ikasa sweated bullets as he imagined the scenario. At the same time he was tempted to actually tell the names to see City Lord’s reaction.

‘It would at least break this monotony.’

Suppressing his wild thoughts, he returned to observing his customer. A smirk formed on his face as he saw City Lord’s eyebrows rise higher and higher as his vision moved lower.

When it reached the bottom of the list, City Lord stood up abruptly and exclaimed, “A High-Grade Cultivation Method?”

“Yes. That is what I am selling to commoners in Sal City right now.”

He replied without batting an eyelid at City Lord’s loss of composure.

Zhen Wu clutched his chest and fell back into his seat while his aide looked horrified.

“Such wastrel!” The aide exclaimed.

Feng Yan glared at him, causing him to tremble with fear.

“Calm down, Mo Fan. I am sure Brother Ikasa should have something better for the nobles since he is selling the High-Grade Manuals to the Commoners.”

The City Lord said, studying Ikasa’s reaction to his assumption.

“Nope. I first approached the nobles of Sal City. But they scorned me. So, I am selling this High-Grade Manual to Commoners of Sal City en masse. I think it would be perfect for your City Guards.”

Zhen Wu cursed the prestigious families of Sal City for treating a diamond as a stone. He had no choice but to pick the High-Grade Manual for his troops with a heavy heart.

‘Damn bastards. I don’t know how many grandmothers you helped to have this fortune. Even I, the City Lord, don’t have this good of a manual!’

The City Lord and his aide picked some of the much-needed manuals for the City Guards.

As they pointed out the manuals on List, Ikasa immediately matched the descriptions to the names.

“We will take this mid-grade defensive art….”

‘Peek-a-Boo defense.’

“This mid-grade punching technique….”

‘Gazelle Punch’

“One leg technique too….”

‘Sweeping Kick’

“Add this staff technique as well…”

‘How to Clean up: A Janitor’s Insights’

“And we cannot forget the High-Grade Cultivation Manual, City Lord….”

“Of course, add the Cultivation Manual.”

‘One Dumb Belle’s guide to Strength’

So ended the shopping list of the City Lord and his aide. Ikasa counted the number of manuals the two ordered together.

“That’s 5 types of manuals. How many uses would you like for each manual?”

Confused, the Master and Servant looked at each other. When neither could clarify what Ikasa meant, they turned to him and asked in unison,

“What?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep