A bunch of passengers alighted at the Fentan City railway station. One of them was the duo of Inala and Wittral.
The moment his feet touched the platform, Inala's eyes scanned through the crowd, using the entirety of his artistic sense to pay attention to detail, observing the people, their attire, body language, and their actions, 'None are paying attention to us. Good, it seems there aren't any people here related to the reincarnates for the time being.'
"Let's go." He spoke to Wittral in a hushed voice and left the railway station. The duo eventually arrived at a hotel situated the farthest from Arlfarah Mansion in the city.
If any reincarnate had arrived at the city already, they would have established lookouts around Arlfarah Mansion. So, heading there now would be no different from revealing themselves. Depending on the foundation of the reincarnates there, they might have employed people to keep tabs on anyone who came into the vicinity of the mansion, irrespective of their identity.
Inala didn't wish to have a tail on him this early in the game. 'It's a thirteen-year marathon. I can't get exhausted so soon.'
"Wouldn't it be cheaper to rent a single room?" Wittral asked upon seeing Inala fork out a decent sum of money to book two rooms for a week.
"It becomes harder to train in that case," Inala spoke curtly and finished the payment. The duo headed to their respective rooms to retire for the day.
To mingle with the affairs of Fentan City, Inala planned to open a tea house with Wittral. He was good at brewing a variety of drinks, not just tea. So, he could take care of the brunt of work without issues, thanks to Subtle Terrain Domination which allowed him to manufacture a large batch of drinks in a single sitting and maintain perfect quality.
Inala would focus on ambience and serving the customers, using that to mingle around with people of the place and gather information. Besides, this was the easiest choice to keep Wittral mostly hidden from the public eye.
The biggest advantage of this option was the fact that both Wittral and Inala's female forms used Mystic Mist Art. Meaning, they worked with fluids. He could influence all his customers to behave as he wanted, little by little, for more than a decade.
When the time comes, as the Brimgan Empire marches into the region influenced by the Major Treasure of Attribute, many would avoid harming him.
The drinks he serves would influence the customers, making them less inclined to harm Inala in a battle situation. And similarly, if faced with Mammoth Clansman, they'll focus more on the reincarnates than the Mammoth Clansmen.
The Mammoth Clansmen and Brimgan Empire cultivators would war against each other, as once the Major Treasure of Attribute reveals itself, a lot of precious resources would appear, including some Minor Treasures.
The reason the Empyrean Tusk herd took such a loss and contested for the Major Treasure of Attribute was due to the sheer value of treasures present in the place. It was worth dying for.
From precious Elixirs that had soaked and refined Prana for centuries to millennia, to minerals that had developed to partially display a semblance of sentience, etc. Items unlike anything witnessed by both Mammoth Clansmen and Brimgan Empire Free Humans would make an appearance, spiking greed to unimaginable levels.
Hence, war was inevitable. Inala only hoped that when the Free Humans faced the Mammoth Clansmen, they would target the reincarnates more and hold them back long enough for Inala to get his hands on the Major Treasure of Attribute.
The tea house was the key to that plan.
Morning, the next day, Inala brought in a bunch of materials that he had purchased from the nearby market and dumped them in Wittral's room, "Here."
"You want me to start already?" Wittral was surprised. "Can't I relax for a couple more days?"
"I hoped to have a house of our own adjacent to the tea shop." Inala spoke with a sullen tone, "So, I want to hurry up and establish ourselves in this city. It seems I'm the only one excited for…"
"I was just kidding," Wittral flashed a smile in a hurry as he grabbed the items in a fluster, "I wanted to make some drinks already. Ah, man! I love brewing stuff!"
"I'll inquire about details regarding potential shop locations and their rental value." Inala said and exited the room, heaving a sigh in relief once he left the hotel, 'It's getting harder to fool him.'
Wittral wasn't a fool. He had a pretty great head above his shoulders. He was merely inexperienced, which was why Inala could control him until now. But the longer he stayed with Inala, the more he learnt about a variety of subjects.
The exposure caused him to grow at a terrifying pace. He wasn't a perfectly born Empyrean Snapper for nothing. By now, no matter how much Inala put on an act, Wittral had a decent idea regarding his character.
He had his own thoughts and goals, one of which was to start a family with Amita. He had already begun to move in that direction, subtly making arrangements in that regard. It was why Inala refrained from staying with him in the same room.
He wasn't a cold-blooded monster. And his female form was more emphatic than his male form. If he continued to stay with Wittral, it was just a matter of time before he started valuing the latter as someone important to him.
Whether Wittral was important as a friend, ally, or collaborator didn't matter. As long as Inala began valuing him, it presented Wittral with more than enough opportunity to forge a relationship.
That was why Inala reverted to his male form every night and actively negated the emotional influence in his mind that had been generated by his female form. This way, he could continue thinking of Wittral as a mere tool towards his goal and not someone important like Gannala or Asaeya.
Both his genders were his natural state. Therefore, if Inala allowed both to develop freely, his mind would collapse and result in a split personality disorder. He'll be screwed when that happens.
'It wouldn't matter once I get the Attribute. I need to keep both genders in check until then.' He thought and sighed in response. Once the Bolt of Transcendence hits him, he will take advantage of it to refine all his powers into a form influenced by him, ensuring all negative effects and influences are destroyed.
By then, he wouldn't face any serious issues with both genders acting as they pleased. But until that point, he would have to exercise utmost caution.
Walking along the street, Inala wore a kite-shaped hat to cover his bald head and proceeded slowly, in silence, having a lot to think about. He strolled across the streets of Fentan City and observed the shops there, calculating to see which would present him with the highest rate of success. 'It needs to be close enough to Arlfarah Mansion with significant traffic of wealthy customers with high cultivation.'
The greater the number of Body Stage Free Humans acting as traffic for his tea house, the higher his rate of success. Hence, he needed to determine the most optimal location…
He stopped suddenly, growing hair that covered his head and sprouted bangs that shielded half his eyes, masking most of his feminine face. Though he was far away, he was cautious. No, cautious was an understatement.
From a distance of four kilometres, too far away for the target to detect him, Inala gazed, taking advantage of his exceptional eyesight that was similar to a bird's. He stared at the seated figure of Orakha talking to a woman in a restaurant.
His mind turned strangely calm as his lips quivered, forming a faint smile as he muttered, letting out a cute chuckle, "Found one."