"Third Manager, if the boy has talent, then the Mo Estate will provide an inferior Spirit Elixir to take him away."
A man with strong features and a proud expression spoke up. As a servant of the Mo Family, he carried an air about him that was aloof and untouchable. Whether the aloof air was deserved was a different question - many privately thought that the two-headed wolf depicted on his robes felt out of place.
"You jest." Naro's father turned his dark eyes towards the Mo servant, flaring his Martial Warrior aura. "Of course, you would have remembered that I had invited the Mo Family over as a courtesy, not to lord over my modest Song Family."
Song Horo stared hard at Mo Seris, the representative of the large family.
Even though the Third Manager had barely entered the doorway of cultivation, Mo Seris was a pure mortal. A feeling of suppression tightened in the representative's stomach, and he instinctively shied away.
"A jest, a jest, of course," Mo Seris quickly repeated.
Song Horo's dark eyes turned away, and the feeling of suppression lightened.
Mo Seris continued to smile politely, but a trace of anger was hidden in his heart.
It appears this Third Manager is nothing but a leaping clown, he thought to himself. With the pitiful cultivation of a Warrior, he thinks he can refuse the offer of the Mo Family. Tsk, tsk.
"As you know, Third Manager, the Mo Estate does not lack infants with talent." After the Warrior aura was retracted, Mo Seris's haughty air quickly returned. "We also know where to draw the line between friends and strangers. If nothing else, the Mo Estate understands propriety."
After speaking, his smile deepened.
So what if you are a Warrior? There are dozens of Masters in the Mo Family. Would you still leap up so vigorously if you saw one?
It would be far more likely that you would kneel down, trembling.
An image leapt to his mind. If only he could find a way to bring a Master to the doorstep of the Song Manor, it would bring no shortage of pleasure.
Bow down, Manager, he imagined himself saying. No, not down there, a little bit lower.
My lord, I cannot get any lower.
Oh? Let me help you, then.
Mo Seris saw his foot driving down against the back of the manager's head, planting it firmly in the soil.
Oh, it appears you truly cannot get any lower. My mistake. But you really should understand that this is your rightful place in the world. It is natural for the wolf to eat the songbird.
Mo Seris was shaken out of his daydreams by the Third Manager's voice.
"What a coincidence! My Song Manor also knows how to draw this line between friends and strangers. We are also aware of a few other families in Brightsteel Town…"
The Third Manager's tone was pleasant, but his words were not. The implication was obvious.
If the Song Family was wronged by the Mo Family, then they would just find another power to bow down to, breaking off the deals, tributes and relationships that were currently benefiting the Mo Family.
If such a situation occurred, and it was Mo Seris's fault, then it was clear that punishment would come down heavily on him for abusing his authority and harming the family interests.
Song Horo would likely also be punished by the Song Family, but it would not be so heavy. After all, as a manager, his role was far higher in the Song Family than Mo Seris's was in the Mo Family, giving him more discretion.
From this alone, one could see that there were both benefits and drawbacks to working under a great power.
Mo Seris's smile grew thin.
"As a manager, you can really make decisions for your family however you wish, disregarding the bigger picture on a whim. Very impressive."