Chapter 403: A Disgusted Mu Fan
(Skyshard Residence, Planet Vorthas)
It wasn’t until that evening when Amanda woke up again and the two of them alongside Dumpy came down to grab a bite, that Leo finally reunited with Ben.
"How have you been? My boy?" Ben asked Leo, extending his hand, as Leo shook it firmly without hesitation.
*Clap*
As their hands met, Leo could feel the metal under his skin, as although there was a thin layer of skin like substance on-top of Ben’s robotic frame, he was at his core a full fledged metal robot.
"I’ve been good, I’m happy to see you here, even if you don’t have your usual old boned physical body," Leo said, as he saw the robot mimic the exact expression that Ben used to make, as the old man let out a soft sigh.
"This body is useless, my knowledge of mana circulation and assassination methods is for nothing with this piece of junk.
Neither can I circulate or feel mana in this body, nor can I realistically practice any assassination methods.
Hell, I can’t even walk quietly or sneak up behind someone, for a couple hinges inside me will always squeak as I move.
So yeah, I’ve definitely seen better days, but I’m happy regardless.
I’ve never had a real family of my own, and I feel right at home with yours," Ben said, as Leo placed a sympathetic hand over the old man’s shoulder.
"Hang in there master, I’m pretty sure I’ll try and find a better body for you sooner or later." Leo assured, as Amanda began to frantically wave her hands above her head, as if to remind Leo that she still existed.
"Well hello? Did you forget that your girlfriend is an awesome mechanic all of a sudden?
I’m already working on Grandpa Ben body 2.0. Give me a few months and I’ll have him in a much more lightweight and reliable frame, compared to that shit body that he’s currently in!" Amanda claimed boldly, as Leo turned towards her and smiled.
"You can make full fledged robots now?" He asked in surprise, as Amanda flicked her brown hair sassily and nodded.
"Of course I can! I’m a Grandmaster Tier Blacksmith now.... I can easily get a job for a million MP a year inside the Cult" Amanda said proudly, as Leo sized her up again from the top to bottom, and considered taking her back up to her room for another round of love making, before eventually passing up on the idea, considering how she had just barely recovered from the last one.
"I’d really appreciate it if you could make that happen," Ben said, smiling warmly, as Leo patted him on the shoulder and motioned for him to come along for some snacks while Amanda put together a meal.
"So.... What really happened since I last saw you? Indulge the old man in some of your adventures, will you?" Ben requested, as they made their way to the dining table.
"Yes! I too wish to hear of the legendary exploits you’ve been part of, Lord Father!" Dumpy chimed in eagerly, while Amanda turned back and gave Leo a look that clearly said she wanted to hear it all as well.
Letting out a sigh, Leo gave in and began recounting everything, starting from the moment he woke up with no memories, only to find himself thrust straight into a brutal survival test at the Rodova Military Academy Entrance Exam.
—---------
Meanwhile, somewhere on Planet Tithia, Mu Fan sat in her new office which was a modest facility located near the Twelfth Elder’s base of operations on the planet.
Behind her desk, she quietly monitored the live camera feed streaming directly from Ben’s eyes and ears, as the old robot had been secretly tapped by the Cult, before he was ever delivered to Leo’s home.
’Seriously, Twelfth Elder? Spying on Leo’s home and monitoring everyone around him just to track their true thoughts and intentions? Isn’t that a bit excessive?’ Mu Fan thought bitterly, unable to believe how disgustingly low the Cult had stooped for them to resort to such underhanded tactics to keep an eye on their own Dragon Candidate.
Yet, despite her disapproval, she hadn’t turned down the assignment.
Because if someone had to do this job, she believed that it was best that she did it herself, rather than letting some faceless loyalist do it, who would probably report everything back to the Twelfth Elder without hesitation.
As at least this way, she could control the information flow, and decide what she wanted to reveal and what she needed to bury in silence.
’I hope you ascend to the position of the Dragon soon....’ Mu Fan prayed, as lately she had started to feel less and less trustful towards the Cult management.
After seeing how the First and Twelfth Elder treated the Dragon Candidate and the old prophecy as nothing more than a political tool, Mu Fan realized that they did not truly believe in what the Dragon was supposed to achieve.
Over the past 2,000 years, the Cult of Ascension had named hundreds of Dragons, each one hailed as the chosen savior, the one who would finally lift them out of their misery.
Hundreds who had tried their best to fight back against the righteous faction.
However, in the end, every single one had failed, and every single one had died.
As the centuries passed, the Elders’ Council, originally entrusted with training and guiding these Dragons, began to lose faith in their potential altogether, with the situation turning so bad that to the current generation of Elders, the Dragon was no longer a symbol of hope, but merely a political tool.
A popular figurehead that was only good for parading in public and sent on glorified missions.
And yet... the commoners still believed.
The common people within the Cult of Ascension still believed in the Dragon. They still placed their faith in the ancient prophecy and were willing to lay down their lives for him if ever called upon.
And that... that was the side of the Cult Mu Fan hoped Leo would come to see.
"I know all too well that sooner or later, you’ll find yourself standing against the Elders’ Council," she whispered to herself.
"I just pray that by then... the faith of the commoners will have given you enough reason to stay back and fight. Not for the Elders or the Cult, but for them." She mused, as she knew that without something real to bind him to this Cult.....something deeper than orders or prophecy, Leo would never stay back and fight for the cause, not when he held enough strength to walk away as a free man.
And with that thought heavy in her heart, Mu Fan slowly removed her headset, choosing, at least for now, not to spy on Leo’s conversation any further, as she did not wish to impede on his privacy where he joyfully talked about his exploits for the past two years, making it seem like it had been a cake-walk all along, when in reality, he had suffered every single day of it.
’Typical men, they behave like the difficulties they faced weren’t a big deal when talking in front of their girl, when they were actually shitting their pants while they were alone...’ Mu Fan thought amusedly, as she shook her head at how silly Leo could be at times.