Auren stares at Rakshala in shock. The black tattoo, adorned with red roses, has suddenly come to life—changing from a mere image into a real, living plant, complete with realistic-looking vines, thorns, leaves, and roses.
"This is my second Hatsu. I awakened it shortly after finalising my plan... of course, it is all thanks to you. It embodies my deepest desire, and it will allow us to create the nation I mentioned," she explains.
"Just... how?" Auren asks, still stunned.
"Everyone who touches the thorns will have a beautiful tattoo bloom upon their body. Naturally, this ability comes with certain conditions. They will be informed of those conditions beforehand—which, in fact, is the first condition. The second is that they must not harbour any significant grudge against me or against any key figure involved with the administration of Hollow Blade. They need to join with pure motives, not related to revenge or grudge. The third is that they must swear a Nen Oath never to betray Hollow Blade, not now, nor in the future. Neither the second nor the third condition will prevent the ability from activating, but failing them will lead to specific consequences. Finally, the fourth condition is that they must consent to receiving the tattoo."
Are these really all the conditions? They sound rather... loose to me. There must be more. Well, for now, it will suffice.
"A Nen Oath... a contagious Nen ability... this—" Auren pauses. "You should really hide that ability. If this gets out, you will be hunted down, even if the V5 never finds out you are manipulating the global stock markets. Abilities like this are incredibly rare... these abilities have the ability to change the entire world. They will never be accepted by the V5. I have never even heard of one."
With a few exceptions... all related to a certain Urn...
"So what are the effects of the tattoo, then? And what happens if the conditions are not fulfilled?" Auren asks, unable to completely hide his curiosity.
"If the person does not give consent, then nothing will happen. If the target fails either the second or third condition, a black thorn will appear somewhere on their body—wherever they touched the vines. If that part is removed, the tattoo will automatically regrow elsewhere. If both conditions are violated, they will die instantly. Both effects can also trigger retroactively under specific conditions."
"Alright... so people with hidden motives are marked, and those with hostile intent or grudges are killed. That is... fair, I suppose. Especially if the rules are explained to them beforehand."
"Everyone who fulfils both conditions receives a tattoo based on their loyalty and involvement in the cause. However, a rose will only appear on those who possess the potential to master Nen to a certain degree. With unwavering loyalty and advanced Nen capability, they will eventually develop into a small, blooming rose bush themselves—capable of using the same power that I do. I have not used this on anyone yet, and I intend to call for an Elder meeting sometime next week."
So this ability identifies traitors and, more importantly, identifies anyone worthy of getting taught Nen. This ability will create loyal citizens and, more importantly, a wave of Nen users if they're properly cultivated.
"... So that is how you plan to gain loyalty and solve the issue of spies. I suppose... it could work, but it sounds rather strict," Auren comments, still unsure what to think.
It is a cult... It's a cult, indeed. Too late now—once you are in, there is no way out. Well... at this point, it does not matter anymore.
"I am sorry, dear Auren," she says, her voice softening as she lowers her gaze. "Of course, I wanted to give you the honour of receiving the very first rose tattoo, but it would only hinder you. I cannot allow that to happen to you. You still plan to explore the world and have your own goals, don't you?"
"Yes..." Auren replies slowly.
"... What a shame," Auren adds in a sarcastic tone, lightly touching his left chest, immediately feeling his own Nen Mark.
"So... all these funds? Are they for that? To claim land?" he asks at last, steering the conversation back to the financial goals of Hollow Blade.
"To found a nation," Rakshala explains. "I have already bought up enough land to make the entire V5 panic—if they were to realise what I have done and what I intend to do."
Auren looks shocked. "How?"
"Are you familiar with the eastern region of the Yorbian Continent?" Rakshala asks. "The East is nearly completely abandoned by human civilisation. It is dangerous, filled with beasts, and almost entirely devoid of human presence. Some parts have never been explored by humans."
She retrieves a map and unfolds it across the table. A massive section of the eastern Yorbian continent is circled, encompassing a vast area that spans the entire north-eastern region. Another line marks off a smaller section inside it. The section is located almost at the centre of the map, the North-East of the Yorbian continent is only a few days of flight away from all major continents. Auren also sees Greed Island on the map, and can't help but think when he should enter the game himself."
"Interestingly enough, the place I was born—the Kurta village, which has since been razed to the ground—is located nearby," she says, causing Auren to pay attention again, no longer staring at the small Greed Island. She is pointing to a small area along the southern edge of the marked line, and Auren sees the small frontier, Lukso Province.
"What a coincidence," Auren replies, his voice flat.
"I have purchased the entire Lukso Province, along with the border regions of three neighbouring countries. This creates a massive natural wall. On paper, I now own a vast nature conservatory. In truth, we will construct our empire behind it—on land that was previously unclaimed. It provides the perfect cover and even allows us to station armed 'park rangers' along the border. Isn't it ironic that the Kurta, who rejected the outside, will now have their former territory transformed into something they couldn't even dream about?"
Is that her revenge?
"Yes... Anyway... I see you bought the official land, the most frontier regions on the entire continent, but you will leave it unused, and instead make use of the wilderness behind it. It's an excellent cover... but what about airships? Won't they discover you? Routes from the Union to the Minbo Republic or the Kukan'yu kingdom will cross over the territory. Jappon is also close, and it's a famous tourist hotspot."
"It's unlikely that anyone will pay much attention. The region is vast and covered in thick, dense forests. Moreover, we will deploy multiple patrols of air pirates to prevent any accidental discovery. Naturally, we have already begun acquiring everything we need—weaponry, airships, building materials. We have also bought a large fleet of ships. The Empire is currently constructing a fleet of highly advanced ships, capable of housing two hundred thousand people. They need funds for that and were more than willing to sell their older ships to us. They are cheap and reliable, exactly what we need."
"Relying on the forest... and hoping that no one notices because the area is too large?" Auren frowns. "Also, Hunters are legally allowed to enter any nature conservatory. Even if they were not, they would simply ignore the rules. They do not fear laws. If anything, announcing the territory like that might even attract them. It feels unrealistic... sooner or later—"
"I have many ideas, my Hatsu, it's not simply an ability that allows me to see the loyalty or the Nen talent of people. I'll tell you more later," Rakshala says, looking amused. "Do not worry, Auren. By the time the V5 realise what we are doing, it will be far too late to stop us. You can trust me on that."
How?! Is she gonna blackmail the V5! They do not negotiate with terrorists—they only care about themselves, so how is she gonna... no... don't tell me?!
"... May I ask... whether those ideas involve... Roses. The other kind?"
"Yes," Rakshala answers, her eyes growing cold for a brief moment before she quickly smiles again. She picks up her dress and begins putting it back on.
"The V5 will not risk a full conflict over a minor land dispute—especially when that land has remained unused for the entirety of human history on this continent. And the rest of the territory has been legally purchased. They will not gamble with the rose seeds we have already planted—and are continuing to plant—across the V5 and the Empire as well. If even one of them chooses to strike at us, roses will bloom in all of their largest cities, especially in those places frequented by politicians and military leadership."
She is insane... what the fuck? She already has some of them planted...?
"Do not worry, Auren," Rakshala says. "It will not come to that. At worst, there will be a single incident—just enough to make them realise that we are not bluffing. I will do my best to prevent even that from happening."
"I..." Auren begins, still unsure how to respond. "It is a lot to take in. I am not against your plans, but I am against using Roses on entire countries. Most people—even soldiers—are not responsible for the actions of the men in charge. I am not a saint myself, but killing civilians would make us into something worse than the V5."
Rakshala shakes her head. "I suppose I can understand your viewpoint. If it ever comes to that, I will focus our attention on the politicians instead. I'll make sure no civilians will be harmed, as I share your view on that. Also, we have prepared different kinds of bombs—not all of them are like the Rose you may be thinking of. Some have been modified to cause more standard explosions. Some are simply smaller in scale. Others contain little to no poisonous substances. I will be careful, and I'll involve you and the elders in every major decision, you have my word."
"T...thanks, I guess?" Auren says, still uncertain whether that makes it any more acceptable. "So why did you tell me all of this? And how can I help?"
"I would like you to attend the next Elder meeting. I will explain a few matters there, and I want to hear your ideas and input. Several of the Elders are already working tirelessly behind the scenes. We have projects all across the world, with particular focus on the Kakin Empire."
"Okay," Auren replies. "Certainly would not want to miss that."
Rakshala smiles and wraps her arms around Auren in a hug. "You can go home now and rejoin your friends. I would not want to take up too much of your time. If you have a moment in the coming days, join me for practice. I am especially curious to see your progress with En."
"Do not think I will not eventually reach your level..." Auren mutters.
Hopefully... someday.
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