The afterglow of the setting sun shines through the exquisite window lattices, casting long shadows in the villa room covered with thick carpet.
The air still lingered with the sweet scent of incense, forming a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city coming from outside the window.
Chi Chen stood quietly by the window, looking at the capital city outside where the lights were just coming on. The calmness with which he spoke eloquently in front of Daimyo seemed to be stained by the dusk, revealing a trace of barely perceptible fatigue.
With a creaky sound, the door was pushed open. Ōnoki's figure floated in, his large Tsuchikage cloak swaying gently behind him.
"What? Are you still thinking about the Daimyo Mansion?" Ohnoki's voice was a little hoarse, lacking the majesty he had just now in the Daimyo Mansion, and had a bit more of the casualness between master and disciple.
He floated to the table, picked up the teapot on the table, poured himself a cup of cold tea, drank it all in one gulp, smacked his lips in satisfaction, and rubbed his lower back habitually.
Chi Chen turned around and nodded helplessly, "Yes, teacher. Although they have accepted the core part of the plan, that was under the coercion of the Iwagakure. They only care about how much they can get out of it, or how much vested interests they can lose. As for what this plan can actually change, they don't care at all."
"Hmph, a bunch of parasites!" Ohnoki snorted coldly, his red nose twitching slightly.
"I've lived for so many years and have seen too many people like this. They suck the blood of the Earth Nation, only caring about whether they can enjoy wealth and prosperity themselves, regardless of the floods outside. In their eyes, this proposal is probably just an account book to see how much money they can make."
After all, as long as they are not the ones paying, they can benefit. As long as Iwagakure is the one taking the risk, they can directly enjoy the benefits brought by the road construction. It is estimated that after they have finished discussing in Daimyofu, they will gather a group of people to discuss in private.
He floated in front of Chi Chen, hovering at a height just enough to be at eye level with his disciple. His sharp eyes, which had seen through many vicissitudes of life, now held a complex emotion of understanding, warning, and a hint of barely perceptible pride.
"But, Chen," Ōnoki's voice deepened, "you did very well, unexpectedly well. You performed very well in front of the daimyo and the nobles just now. When I was your age, I didn't have such courage and vision."
"At that time, I followed my grandfather and traveled among the nobles, hoping to achieve something. Later, it was under the encouragement of the God of Ninja that I established the village. Decades have passed in a flash."
Chi Chen was moved. Ever since Ohnoki became close to him, he always gave him the feeling of being a naughty old man. His performance today obviously touched him a lot.
Just as he was about to say something, Ohnoki waved his hand, signaling him not to speak, and continued.
"Remember today's scene, remember the faces of those people. This is the world you will face in the future. Strength alone is not enough, and ideals alone are not enough."
"You need strength to intimidate them, and you also need wisdom to navigate these intertwined interests, using a language they can understand to pry open those seemingly indestructible barriers."
He paused, a cunning gleam in his eyes, and he turned into a naughty boy again.
"Furthermore, your last words, 'The Hidden Rock Village is willing to take responsibility for this,' and my guarantee, hehe, have put an invisible yoke on them."
Since the Daimyo has publicly mentioned the "discussion," he must come to a conclusion. With me and the Iwagakure Village backing them up, even if they want to just brush it off, they'll have to think twice."
Chi Chen's tense heartstrings relaxed slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his face: "Teacher is right. I was a little impatient."
"It's normal to be anxious," Ōnoki patted his shoulder understandingly.
"Looking at the scenes along the way, and then looking at these nobles, who wouldn't be anxious? But change takes time, especially when it comes to disrupting those deeply entrenched groups. This proposal is like a chisel. What we need to do now is find the right spot and chip away, bit by bit. We can't rush, and we can't stop. Today, we've already opened the first crack."
He floated over to the table and sat down, picking up the copy of the scroll, his rough fingers stroking the cover. "For the next few days, it will be about the nobles. We can take a break."
"Yes, teacher." Chi Chen responded solemnly.
Ohnoki nodded in satisfaction, then remembered something and let out a mischievous smile. "By the way, that red-haired boy asked you to carry his sword?"
Chi Chen found it funny to see Ohnoki having returned to his old naughty self. When Fei Liu was a child, he once secretly told Chi Chen that Ohnoki was probably very short and that was why he was always floating. When Ohnoki heard this, he got very angry and kept calling Fei Liu a red-haired boy and didn't like him.
"Hiru works very hard. Mr. Yamagami said he's making rapid progress and is very resilient."
"Hmph, it's almost like a stinky, hard stone!" Ohnoki said with disdain, but the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes relaxed a little. "But it's also a good material. It will be the cornerstone of the Iwagakure Village in the future. I can also assist you well in the future."
The master and disciple chatted for a while in the villa about the recent situation of the Hidden Rock Village, some additional suggestions on the plan from the think tank, and the latest analysis of the developments in the Kingdom of Wind.
Ohnoki rubbed his waist from time to time and complained that the soft cushions here were not as comfortable as his stone chair.
Chi Chen listened quietly, occasionally offering his own opinions. When he heard Ohnoki's complaints, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, but he did not laugh out loud to embarrass Ohnoki.
The "negotiation" in Daming Prefecture lasted for five days.
During these five days, Chichen followed Ohnoki and fully experienced the hypocrisy among the nobles. During these days, these nobles went in and out of various banquets under various names, and the daimyo often invited Ohnoki and Chichen to ask for their opinions.
Ohnoki was trying to gain every possible support for the proposal.
During this time, Chi Chen watched quietly. After seeing all this, the idea of what he wanted to do did not disappear. Instead, he became more determined after seeing more ugly behaviors of the nobles.
The world needs to change, and his power must become the first lever to pry open this world.
Finally, an official document with the daimyo's seal and the signatures of the nobles was delivered to the villa where Ōnoki was staying.
The document was worded in high-sounding language, praising Chi Chen as a young talent and the "far-sightedness" of the "Rock Plan".
However, the actual support was as thin as a knife of wind from Sunagakure. The daimyo prefecture readily allocated a sum of "start-up funds", the amount of which was only enough to barely carry out a "demonstration" terraced field project near Iwagakure Village.
As for the huge "National Highway Plan" and the core "Specialty Industry Development", only one-third of the expected results were empty promises.
At the beginning, the nobles expressed their "admiration for Iwagakure's responsibility" and were willing to "subscribe at their discretion when the bonds are issued", but they did not mention the specific amount they would buy. Infuriated, Ohnoki used Dust Release to rip the roof off the banquet hall, and only then did he get this one-third. Of course, this one-third was also the one-third after the pilot program was castrated. No matter what more was said, it would be meaningless, as the money spent on holding banquets and giving gifts these days was obviously more than this.
After sending off the attendant who delivered the document with a formulaic smile on his face, Ohnoki looked at the document, snorted coldly, and threw it on the table with a light "pa" sound.
"Hmph, these stingy people are afraid of losing their value even if they pluck a hair!" He rubbed his waist, which was beginning to ache again, and said with a knowing sarcasm in his tone, "This amount of money is within my expectations."
He drifted to the window, looking at the bustling scene outside, his eyes incredibly sharp. "They're afraid that Iwagakure will use this to expand, but they're reluctant to give up this big piece of the pie. In the end, they want to reap the spoils, but they're going to miscalculate this time!"
Chi Chen picked up the document and looked at it carefully. There was not much disappointment on his face. Having a lot of money has its advantages, and having a little money has its advantages. At least when Yanyin Village issues bonds and has enough money, Yanyin Village will take the lead in this plan. As long as Yanyin Village does not give in, they can only cooperate obediently.
Moreover, this plan has already affected their interests. They understand that the Iwagakure Village wants to expand its sphere of influence. They are willing to pay for this proposal because of the weight of Ohnoki and the Iwagakure Village.
"Teacher, it's better to have it than not. At least we can set up the preliminary stall, which is just enough to deal with the upcoming conflict." Chi Chen is very pragmatic. After all, it is refreshing to use other people's money to do your own business.
"And as long as we produce results and make achievements, they will beg us to give them money just for their own benefit. After all, that's just the kind of people they are."
"Well said!" Ohnoki slapped the window frame, then twisted his waist again, but quickly stood up.
"You are worthy of being my disciple, Onoki! Let's go back to the village! This little bit of start-up capital is still money, even a little bit counts. If we use it sparingly, it will be enough for us to make some noise! Let's show them our strength."
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