YM778.TV Chapter 37 Fox-Emperor!
A baby was also laughing…
Or he had been, but as they returned to the Flame Mansion, his complexion became increasingly dark and grim. It was as if he had been diagnosed with cancer!
"Kid, why aren\'t you celebrating?" The Old Ghost couldn\'t understand. For some reason, Jack appeared pensive and crestfallen, even after that huge Henderson win.
"Celebrating? This is no time to celebrate! We made an enemy of the Underground AND the other Dawn Lords! Do you realize the seriousness of the situation?!"
"I don\'t think it\'s that bad—"
"You\'ve been asleep too long, Old Ghost! Do you think the other Lords will sit still after this? Besides, the Underground war will cripple our information network!"
They who lurked in the shadows would likely see through the foxes\' disguises…. He couldn\'t afford to send them out on their own anymore!
"Even now, our enemies are scheming for our downfall. We won\'t rejoice and let our guard down. No, we will not!" He clamored as if a politician hyping the masses.
"Woo! Woo!" (That\'s our Master. So wise!)
"Foxes, bring me my writing tools!"
"Woo!" (YES, Drawing Time!)
At this moment, the Old Ghost was feeling overwhelmed. What was up with this kid\'s levelheadedness?! More importantly, why was he so eager to create his Faction NOW?
Jack showed infinite focus as he worked, sweat dripping from his forehead as he... wrote a letter. With every stroke, his resolve even hardened as he gazed at his status.
[Dormant Obliteration Curse (SSS+)]
\'If you ever activate, I\'ll be ready!\' It wasn\'t that he was impatient, power-hungry, or paranoiac… he simply had a godly time bomb attached to him!
Forty-seven discarded letters later…
"This is the one! Bring this to the Hendersons!" Jack thundered.
By habit, the fox messenger put on a cloak, ready to brave the world for its Master, only to be stopped. "No disguise, you\'re a proud Flame Mansion Fox. Do you understand?"
With a resounding woo, the latter was on its way, Jack chuckling.
So what if the disguised foxes were WANTED? He could use them undisguised!… Within reason, of course. If he was reckless, it could be seen as the Flame Lord preparing for war!
Still, politics were one thing, but personal power mattered the most at the end of the day! As for how to quickly increase it…
1. Get a Mandrake for the body-strengthening ritual
2. Visit a Fate Temple and make a deal with the Fate God
3. Reorganize his fox troops. With \'Master of the Foxes\', they were a great XP farm.
What should he start with? Why not all of them at once? He gazed at the nearby paper pile… perhaps it was time to send a few more letters. It was time to shake things up!
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The entire Dawn City was buzzing.
"Did you hear? The Flame Lord went crazy!"
"Pfft— If you ask me, the Hendersons went even crazier. They freaking apologized!"
"Scoff— Fools! Don\'t you understand that there is more than meets the eye here? Regular people like us can\'t understand the greatness of the Lords! It\'s all a scheme to—WTF?!"
Similar conversations were happening around the City, but they\'d all invariably end the same way, with people choking in shock. What the fuck was this?!
Jack had given his foxes one order… and that was to appear as proud Flame Mansion Foxes! His busy mind had forgotten to micro-manage, and the result was…
"W-what in the seven hells is it wearing?!"
A Proud "Fox Emperor" appeared. It wore a poorly made crown with the Flame Mansion\'s emblem and a long golden cape dragging on the ground!
The thing was so silly and eye-catching that everyone and their mothers stopped what they were doing to watch it pass through the street. Hell, it even stopped a bank robbery!
The Flame Lord was making a move? This was HUGE!
The crowd in front of the fox would make way, and a procession would follow, overwhelmed with curiosity. Within minutes, every City power was watching too!
What started as one silly fox misunderstanding its Master\'s words, and deciding on its wardrobe by itself, soon had the entire City on their toes…
"Oh god! Knowing the belligerent Flame Lord, what if it\'s a war declaration?!"
"Only someone insane would— Actually, it\'d be just her style…."
"We\'re witnessing History, but I\'m not sure I want to!"
At that moment, many wondered if they should leave Dawn City. Perhaps they were better off taking a Flowing Water ship and scramming far away.
As for the main offender, it felt so goddamn great!
"Woo!" (I\'m doing it, Master!)
It appeared so Proud that everyone had gathered to watch its Prideful Appearance! How amazing was that?! VERY!
As for the distress it caused to the populace, the little creature was blissfully unaware of it. It went at its pace, every happy step sending waves into the bystanders\' hearts.
This parade was so long that many felt like cursing. So much stress would definitely shave a couple of years of their lifespan. But then, the little fox finally reached its destination.
| Welcome to the Henderson Estate! |
At the gates, it wasn\'t just welcomed by anyone. The patriarch himself made an appearance, except he was the one feeling the pressure…
What the heck was this about?! A sea of people gazed at him with questioning gazes, enough of them to raze his Estate many times over!
Inwardly, he felt like crying. He had no damn clue what this was about! Why hadn\'t the Flame Lord warned him?!
He was already starting to regret jumping on this pirate ship! But for now, he had to fake being in the know. He showed the calmest of expressions as he welcomed the fox.
"You\'re finally here. You\'ve done well!"
That\'s when the fox produced a letter out of its fur. The static had patches of orange fur sticking to it, yet the care put into the writing was still noticeable.
The Henderson Patriarch received it with both hands, slowly opening it. Had he not been experienced, his hands would have been trembling at the moment.
1. What if it was a war declaration?
2. What if it was just some silly communication?
3. What should he tell the crowd? How could he match their expectations without endangering his family? This was nerve-racking!
But as he saw the content, he felt like a lightning bolt had suddenly hit him. This… this! He finally understood everything.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it\'s my pleasure to announce the first-ever Flaming Masquerade! Every Worthy Power in dawn City should expect to receive invitations soon!"
"WHHHHAAATTTTT?!"
The Flaming Masquerade? The antisocial Flame Lord was suddenly organizing a social event?! Had the world turned upside down, or had the world turned upside down?!
Either way, this was such great news! There wouldn\'t be a war, right? At least, not right now, anyway. But amidst the rejoicing, many couldn\'t help but frown in a cold sweat.
This Flame Lord, she wasn\'t simple after all… or perhaps had she recently found a strategist? That\'s when many remembered a particular crippled "Dad."
As for the "schemers," both were busy training in seclusion. Who knows when they\'d even learn of the event? As far as Jack was concerned, "never" was the perfect timing!
The true mastermind was instead chilling at his subordinate\'s lab, the poor Lizzy watching over her shoulder as if the devil himself was there.
Why did it feel like he was here to test her?! More importantly, what kind of crazy endeavor was he about to embark on?!
"Fox Emperor? This system\'s drunk! Anyway, tell me more about Mandrakes and Fate..."
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Jack Bright (Classless)
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BODY 9 (STR 3 / AGI 3 / RES 3)
SOUL 45 ( MAGIC 8 / SENSE 18 / WILL 19)
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(NEW!)
- He Who Creates Fox Emperors (Fake)!
- Penmanship! (F)
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