Chapter 15: Kaduo And His Lackeys
“Customer, this is your miso chashu ramen. This daifuku and tempura are complimentary! Please enjoy!” The server boy respectfully held the tray with both hands, placing the steaming food one by one on the desk.
“Hm.” Menma withdrew his gaze from outside the window, looking at the food on the desk, somewhat surprised.
This boy’s smiling service warmed his heart.
He had also given two extra small dishes to thank Menma for the tip.
“By the way, customer, if you want to take Kado Company’s merchant ship to the Land of Lightning, you can go to the next street; there’s a ticket office for shipping vessels.” The server boy added a couple more sentences.
These merchant ships, besides transporting goods, also sold some passenger tickets, incidentally carrying some travelers to increase income.
“Thanks.” Menma responded briefly, picked up the chopsticks, and began tasting.
Seeing this customer so cold, the server boy wasn’t surprised and tactfully withdrew.
Perhaps because it wasn’t a professional ramen shop, the ramen here tasted quite average, but the complimentary tempura was crispy outside and tender inside, and the daifuku was sweet and delicious, which satisfied him greatly.
After a full meal to replenish his strength, Menma left the small diner and headed to the dock to find his target.
From afar, he saw a merchant ship flying the Kado Company flag preparing to set sail, with crew members on the deck holding megaphones and shouting loudly, and the gangway crowded with travelers scrambling to board.
Menma lightly leaped, using Body Flicker to arrive on the ship.
“Hm?” A ronin samurai patrolling the deck felt his shoulder tapped and slightly turned his head.
The moment the white three-eyed fox mask came into view, this ronin samurai was controlled by the Illusion Technique, his eyes becoming dazed.
“Where is Kado?” Menma asked in a low voice.
“Lord Kado will board later.” The ronin samurai answered blankly, his eyes glazed.
“Take me to his room.” Menma ordered.
At the same time, he formed hand seals with both hands, instantly transforming into a sword-bearing samurai.
“Yes, Lord.” The ronin samurai led the way ahead.
The two walked one after the other, passing through the cabins as naturally as routine patrol, with no one suspicious.
“This is Lord Kado’s room.” The ronin samurai stopped in front of a carved wooden door.
“You guard here. When Kado comes, let him in.” Menma pushed the door and entered.
“Yes.” The ronin samurai stood like a statue at the door.
After entering the room, Menma found that although there were no gold, silver, or jewels, it was furnished with various genuine leather decorations, some expensive liquors, and some incomprehensible collection items.
Sitting down behind the desk, Menma pulled open a drawer, took out some ledgers, and began flipping through them.
In a certain year and month, the fleet carried a certain amount of supplies departing from the Land of Fire port to the Land of Water.
In a certain year and month, the fleet carried a certain amount of supplies returning from the Land of Water to the Land of Fire.
……
These were all recent accounts. Even during the Third Great Ninja War, Kado’s fleet traveled between ports of various countries. Though occasionally encountering ninjas or pirates and suffering some losses, overall, the fleet’s profits were extremely lucrative.
When great wars broke out in the Ninja World, it was the best time for merchants like Kado to earn huge profits.
Although Menma wasn’t a professional accountant, he could see from these accounts some massive expenditures; much of the fleet’s profits had vanished, likely paid as tribute to nobles or even daimyo of the major countries.
This ensured that Kado Company’s ships could pass freely through various countries.
The current scale of Kado Company was still modest, not yet reaching the level of one of the world’s top tycoons nine years later.
“It seems like in some fanfiction novel I read before on a certain site, robbing Kado had become an important source of funds.” Menma leaned back in the genuine leather chair, propping his cheek with one hand, idly flipping through the ledgers.
At this moment, the ship swayed, signaling the start of the voyage.
Soon after, a commotion came from outside.
Bang!
The door was roughly kicked open.
A short man in a suit and round-framed sunglasses stormed in aggressively.
Behind him followed several menacing ronin samurai and wandering ninjas.
The ronin samurai previously controlled by Menma’s Illusion Technique had been subdued by them.
“I’d like to see which blind fool it is!” The short Kado bared his teeth and entered the room.
When he saw someone daring to sit in the genuine leather chair he had bought at a high price from the Land of Bears, his face turned ashen, his mouth twitching slightly, and he said, “Looks like this journey will have plenty of fun.”
He grinned ferociously and ordered his subordinates: “Teach this arrogant brat a good lesson! Remember not to damage my collection items! Later, you can play with him however you want on the ship.”
After Kado spoke, the group of ronin samurai and wandering ninjas behind him walked in with sinister cold laughs.
As if the kid in front of them was already their plaything.
“Not even a decent ninja?” Menma sensed the chakra in these people and found only two at genin level, shaking his head.
He wasn’t even interested in standing up to act, just sitting in the chair, forming a hand seal with one hand.
“Nine-Face Sūvarṇa · Jade!”
In an instant, space fluctuated around Menma, and a “Jade” character magic circle glowing dark red appeared beside him.
Nine-Faced Beast · Celestial Maiden, rushed out from the summoning array, floating in mid-air.
“What thing is that?” The samurai hadn’t reacted yet when the celestial maiden floating from the array swung her ribbons.
Two ribbons pierced through the leading ronin samurai like swords.
Blood splattered, the pungent blood scent sobering the ronin samurai and wandering ninjas somewhat; they stopped in their tracks, frozen in terror.
The celestial maiden continued swinging her ribbons, which extended out, knocking down all the obstructing ronin samurai and wandering ninjas in the way.
Screams rose and fell, severed limbs flying everywhere, turning the cabin upside down.
Seeing this, Kado fled toward the door without looking back.
But just as he reached the ship cabin corridor, the two ribbons chased up and bound him.
“Aaahhh!” Kado screamed as he was dragged back to that room.
This time, the room was filled with the sprawled corpses of ronin samurai and wandering ninjas.
“L-L-L-Lord… p-please… p-please… d-don’t… k-kill me…” The previously arrogant Kado was now trembling so much he stuttered.
His small round-framed sunglasses had slipped halfway down his face, revealing terrified eyes looking at the mysterious person before him.
Menma stood up from the chair, floated over to Kado, and looked down condescendingly at the wretched merchant.
He knew that slaughter alone wouldn’t make Kado sincerely submit and pledge loyalty.
So, Menma formed a hand seal with one hand and said coldly:
“Illusion Technique: Narakami no Jutsu!”
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