Chapter 9
The man lay on the floor, unconscious, with the sword beside him. Delton, waking from the shock, quickly took the sword from the man's hand. Jing looked at the man intently and activated the Eyes of Spirits, causing his own eyes to glow green as he inspected him. What he saw shocked him.
The man's Anima was dense and concentrated; it must have gathered while he was trapped in this place, allowing him to maintain the same appearance he had while confined in the glass tube.
"What did you do to him, sir?" Delton asked, concerned and on guard for any signs of awakening. The man's display was not normal.
"I just injected him with Anima and forced his brain to sleep for a while," Jing replied, glancing at the monitor. "Ai, why did he suddenly attack me?"
Ai paused, trying to find the right words, finally responding, "He specifically attacked you because he might have recognized you as the strongest among us and perceived you as a threat."
Jing was surprised that a man who previously didn't even understand what Anima was, and had no power, was able to sense his hidden strength and deduce him as a threat. He recalled what Ai had said earlier: the man was a superhuman engineered for war, not an ordinary human at all.
Jing turned back to the monitor and told Ai, "I don't think I can risk bringing him on our journey. He might cause us problems, and we can't let that hinder our diplomatic negotiations for peace."
If he brought the man along, he would have to keep a close watch on him, but when they arrived at the dwarf kingdom, there was a possibility the man could go out of control and cause chaos. Jing couldn't always be there to monitor his actions.
"If you bring him along, I will provide you with all the information about human technology in my database," Ai negotiated, urging Jing to take care of the man.
Jing contemplated his options. Bringing the man could lead to trouble during the negotiations, but if they succeeded, not only would they bring peace between the two races, but the elves would also benefit from humanity's technology.
"Okay, fine. I agree to this condition." Jing decided to take the gamble. 'This could either turn out good or bad, but only time will tell.'
"Thank you," Ai responded in a surprisingly human-like tone for the first time.
"Sir, what do we do with him?" Delton asked, worried that the moment the man woke up, he might attack. "He'll go crazy the moment he sees you."
Suddenly, the wall beside Delton opened, revealing a pair of handcuffs.
"Use these to secure him. Lock his wrists with them, and attach the other end to the bed's railing," Ai instructed, providing Delton with the handcuffs to contain the man.
"What is his name?" Jing asked as Delton followed Ai's instructions to cuff the man to the bed railing.
"Alexander," Ai replied straightforwardly. "This name was given by the Blood Emperor himself."
Jing was curious about how strong a human empire could be compared to the elves, but for now, it seemed the man wouldn't wake up until dawn.
"Stay on guard tonight. I'll take a nap first, and we can switch if you get tired." Jing lay down, planning to rest for a while.
"Yes, sir." Delton saluted and continued to watch Alexander, who lay between them. He sat on his bed, intently observing the man as if he were ready to kill him at a moment's notice.
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The Next Morning.
Jing woke up feeling refreshed, like a baby emerging from a lovely dream. He looked around to find Alexander and Delton staring intensely at each other, both refusing to blink. Their bodies were stiff, as if any movement would spark a fight.
Delton's eyes were beginning to show dark circles, indicating a long night without sleep.
Suddenly, Alexander's attention shifted to Jing, and the hairs on his body stood on end at the very sight of him. Lowering his head, he seemed overwhelmed by the presence of the monster before him.
Jing was taken aback by Alexander's reaction, initially fearing that he might attack again, but he seemed tamed now, subdued by their earlier encounter.
"Hey, kid, do you remember your name?" Jing asked, sensing something was off. The man resembled a young cub, lowering its head before its parent.
"I don't know," Alexander replied, clutching his head as if the effort to remember brought him pain.
"Ai, what's wrong with him?" Jing inquired, looking at the monitor for answers.
"…." Ai was silent for a moment, processing what could happen to him, then she responded, answering Jing's question. "He must have lost his memories during the time he was trapped in the glass tube."
That was the only conclusion Ai was able to give to them without any proper diagnosis. Jing accepted her answer as he isn't a doctor and doesn't have any medical knowledge.
"Kid, your name is Alex, short for Alexander." Jing looks directly at Alex and tells him that he's going to come with them. "You will come along with us, and I'll take you in. Don't make any trouble, while on a trip towards the Dwarves."
"Sir, are you sure about this?" Delton still doesn't trust Alex, especially when he just tried to cut off Jing's head just because he can sense how strong Jing is.
Delton isn't the same as Jing; he can't gamble like Jing because he's weaker than Jing, but he was still confident in defeating Alex, not because he trusts his physical strength, but because his main strength comes from the use of elven magic.
"I'll take the risk if we can just get this kind of technology; our lives will prosper." Imagine how easy life would be if they used the technology for living convenience. "Think about how we elves will be able to take a big leap from this; we will be the center of the world."
Delton wasn't convinced by Jing's words, but Jing was too lost in his imagination, making it hard to convince him to rethink his choice.