[Current Balance: £1,882,363 8s. 4d.](60,235,629R)
---
Alaric walked towards his bedroom on the mansion's second floor. Unsealing a key from his tattoo, he then inserted it into the doorknob and then turned it
His room was much larger than the room he had at the Penn Estate.
Black walls with intricate gold moldings, and brown tiled floor. A king-sized luxurious bed sandwiched by two imported bedside tables from who-knows-where, and three sofas with a coffee table in the middle. The room had numerous curtains and a single beautiful chandelier hanging in the middle.
As Alaric headed towards his bathroom door to open it, he thought of something that could save him time and money before he touched the knob.
[Buy] [Sell]
'Anything related to bathing and laundry...' He thought while mentally pressing [Buy].
The System Interface popped up in front of him as e scanned a few items, and these were the things he bought. For some odd reason, he never saw them before.
[Suiton: Full Bathing Jutsu - Grants the ability to create water out of thin air, coating the body and automatically cleaning it. Requires minimal amount of Shampoo + Conditioner, and Liquid Bathing Soap - £3 2s. 6d.]
[Suiton: Laundry Jutsu - Grants the ability to create water out of thin air, coating the clothes and automatically cleaning it. Requires minimal amount of Laundry Detergent. - £6 5s. 0d.]
'Damn... I could've saved so much money,' Alaric shook his head and immediately bought it.
[Suiton: Full Bathing Jutsu - £3 2s. 6d.]
[Suiton: Laundry Jutsu - £6 5s. 0d.]
[Laundry Detergent - 7d.]
[- £9 8s. 1d.]
[Current Balance: £1,882,354 0s. 3d.](60,235,328R)
Alaric then opened the door to his bathroom with a laundry detergent on his hand.
He then took off his clothes and performed a single Hand Sign. Immediately, his laundry detergent opened on its own and levitated towards his clothes as his clothes got damp from the water created from moisture.
While this was happening, Alaric's body became wet as he unsealed a shampoo + conditioner bottle and Liquid Bathing Soap bottle.
"..."
Three minutes passed by before Alaric was completely clean. He tried rubbing the surface of his skin, but there were no dead skin cells present. The youngest Kenway also smelled his clothes and turned them around to see if there were spots that weren't clean but he could only widen his eyes at the effectiveness of the two Jutsu he had bought.
'Why did I never see these Jutsus in the Naruto lore?' He thought as took his clothes and opened his bathroom door, walking towards the wardrobe with his bathrobe. 'Were there Jutsu in the Naruto lore that weren't introduced in the anime or manga? I guess this is the time to confirm... I know there's no Phoenix Summong nor Phoenix Sage Mode in the Naruto Anime or manga...'
He shook his head and changed into his clothes, then went outside his bedroom.
A minute later, he arrived at his personal office and walked towards the fireplace.
Kneeling down in front of the fireplace, Alaric placed his palm on the floor and immediately, a small oak hardwood struck upwards, not damaging the floor.
He then placed the wood on the fireplace and materialized a small fire on his finger, flicking it onto the wood, igniting it. 'It's normally hard to ignite this kind of wood, but after mastering my phoenix sage mode to its fullest extent, I've been able to use fire like the Fire Benders in Avatar...'
'Depending on my choice... my fire can either burn at 1500°C or just warms something up...'
(Wood burns at ~300°C, Lava is ~700-1,200°C, Steel melts at ~1,370-1,540°C, The Sun's surface is ~5,500°C)
There were lots of offices in this mansion. There was one for Leonard and Eleanor, and another for Bernard and Linette. There were still more, but they only used three offices for now.
There were lots of papers on his desk, these were all business ideas he had but never used since there were lots to think about. One of the things that made some business hard were the implementation.
Speaking of business, Alaric finally gave most of the annual profits of the farm to his family. They denied at first as their salaries were already high enough.
Alaric already know that the Kenway family weren't greedy with money, so he persuaded them into receiving it. All he asked for is 30% of the profits.
They knew of the responsibilities of managing the farm as it's been years since they started it. A few discussions and the farm was basically out of Alaric's hands.
The Kenway family had a huge vault under the basement, and nobody aside from them knew of the password.
If Alaric is absent, he told them that they could leave the money there. He made a serious statement that they should never ever tell anyone of the password of the vault. 'I know how much I should be getting anyways... the farm's ledger's there.'
Alaric looked at a blank piece of paper and thought of something this house needed. It's been a year since they settled in this house and there were things that were lacking.
'Let's see... we already have a housekeeper,' He thought while taking out a quill pen, 'We also have lots of staff, but we don't have someone to oversee everything. We can't be managing each staff in this house while also managing the farm.'
Alaric then wrote only a few words on the paper.
'For hire:
Butler, Gatekeeper, Coachmen (Three with one to oversee), Security (20 Guards).'
Alaric nodded his head, 'We already have most kinds of staff, I think these are all what's left.'
'I can leave Thulani in training the guards,' He thought as he noticed Reuben walking towards his office, 'Imagine not being able to beat a supposed slave, and to also imagine, that slave is ranked higher than your job... that'd ruin their minds.'
"Come in," Alaric called as Reuben who was about to knock shook his head and just opened the door.
"Report."
'Finally,' Reuben thought as Alaric nodded his head.
"Emmett Scott had a meeting with a couple of people who just arrived here in Bristol today," Reuben started as Alaric listened. "It turns out, Emmett Scott and these people had joined hands with Edward Colston."
Seeing as Reuben paused, Alaric nodded, "Continue..."
"Yes... they are planning to increase the intensity in bringing more slaves. However, that's not the only thing that they talked about," Reuben paused again.
'What's with him being so dramatic...' Alaric thought while nodding towards Reuben.
"Emmett made a deal with everyone there, commit arson and kill everyone in the Kenway Estate. In exchange, he will help with the financial matters to their plans."
"Hmm... okay, that's quite surprising to here," Alaric nonchalantly replied as he yawned, "Did they talk about how many people they were going to send?"
'Why's he so calm?' Reuben thought as he raised a brow, "Yes... I think they'll send about fifty people..."
"Alright, when is that supposed to happen?"
"Tomorrow night."
"Okay, you can go now..."
"..."
"..."
"Why... aren't you afraid?" Reuben asked as he saw Alaric looking at him like he was an idiot. "Fifty men... that's a lot."
Alaric smiled as he stood up from his seat, towering the six-foot Reuben. He then moved towards a large window and stared at the moon. "Get Thulani and come back here, there's something you guys need to know about."
"..."
"Damn it, Baldy, what're you waiting for?"
"Tsk!" Reuben eyed Alaric one more time and snorted before walking outside. "Stop calling me that! That was a long time ago!"
"And bring some tea too!"
Alaric chuckled while shaking his head, 'Commit arson in my estate? I guess you guys no longer value your lives. Fifty men too... you should bring at least five hundred...'
'It can't be helped, they only know us as dogs blessed by William Penn.'
'Speaking of... I should probably visit the Quaker soon, that man's impregnating his wife too much...'
---
Minutes later, Reuben finally came back with Thulani behind him.
All of them were now sitting on the chairs in front of the desk with a coffee table on the middle. Each of them had their cups of tea.
Alaric leans back in his chair, swirling his tea before taking a sip. He glances between Reuben and Thulani, weighing his words.
"Ever wondered who truly runs the world?" he asks, setting the cup down.
'Did he forget that Emmett's sending FIFTY men tomorrow?' Reuben thought but snorts, "Rich men. The ones who never get their hands dirty but somehow own everything."
Thulani nods, his expression unreadable. "Empires rise and fall, but the powerful stay powerful. Always the same story."
Alaric smirks as he crossed his legs. "You're not wrong. But there's more to it. A war, one that's been fought in the shadows for centuries. Two sides, both claiming to fight for a better world."
He leans forward, fingers tapping against the table. "On one side, the Templars. They believe order is the key to peace. A world where men are controlled, guided, so there's no chaos, no uncertainty. A world ruled from above." He gestures upwards, as if pointing to an invisible throne.
Reuben scoffs. "Sounds like a fancy way to say 'tyrants.'"
Alaric chuckles. "And the other side would agree. The Assassins. They believe in freedom... choice above all else. That men should forge their own paths, even if that means risk, even if that means chaos."
Thulani studies him, brows furrowing. "And you? Which side are you on?"
Alaric picks up his tea again, taking a slow sip before answering. "The side that actually understands the game."
Reuben scoffs, setting his cup down with a clink. "Alright, so we've got the Templars wanting to hold the world's leash, and the Assassins running about cutting it. Sounds like a fine mess."
Thulani folds his arms, eyes sharp. "And you sit in the middle of it?"
Alaric exhales, gaze drifting toward the fireplace. "Not in the middle. Above it." He looks back at them.
"Both sides claim righteousness. The Templars say order is the only way to keep men from tearing each other apart. The Assassins say order is just another form of shackles. Neither is entirely wrong. But neither is entirely right, either."
Reuben leans forward, curiosity creeping into his voice. "So what's stopping one side from just wiping the other out? If they've been fighting for centuries, why ain't one of 'em won yet?"
Alaric smirks. "Because power shifts, and men are flawed. The Assassins undermine the Templars' control, but they struggle to build something lasting. The Templars establish empires, but they crumble under their own weight. It's a cycle. One side never truly wins. And most people?" He waves a hand. "They never even realize they're caught in it."
Thulani's expression darkens. "So what does this have to do with us?"
Alaric studies them for a moment. "Everything." He leans back, fingers interlocked. "The people who you gathered information from were Templars, Reuben. And Thulani? You were shackled because their 'order' deemed it necessary for the empire to thrive. Whether you knew it or not, you've already played your part in this war."
Reuben frowns, staring at his cup. "And what? You want us to pick a side?"
Alaric shakes his head. "I want you to understand the world as it is. The Assassins and Templars are both dangerous, and knowing their games means you won't be a pawn in them."
Thulani exhales, looking thoughtful. "And what about you? Are you playing the game, or are you making your own?"
Alaric chuckles, lifting his tea. "Now that's the right question."
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