The mourners were talking about the Powells. The family’s strength shocked and scared many people at the scene. Before this funeral, the Glowmoss Powells were just a foreign faction with noble roots. They might be powerful and hold a prestigious status but they did not have a strong foundation in Arcadia. A faraway enemy was not as terrifying as the local families. The threats they used to pose were near to nothing. Now, they were all proven wrong by the sheer display of strength. When Gunter stepped up and gathered all the scattered Powells in Arcadia, they immediately became a powerful force that should be reckoned with. Their combined strength could easily crush even the strongest family in Arcadia, yet they gathered because of Kaze. Even if Kaze was the mayor of Lilyrose and his wife had a few sizable companies, it was still an overkill. Some even said they were squashing an ant with the elephant’s foot. Many knew the display of strength was not just to target
“I, Gunter Powell, represent the Powell family of Glowmoss and all the other family branches in Arcadia, hereby declaring war! “If the city council stands in my way, I will run them down; if the South River State Governor’s Office stands in my way, I will tear them down!” Gunter’s fierce declaration shocked everyone at the scene. He was ready to run down the city council and tear down the governor’s office! No one else but him had the nerve and audacity to speak so boldly. Both the governors of different states, Morgana and Neegan, looked at Gunter with an enthusiastic gaze. They were governors themselves and knew better than anyone what the position of governor meant. Gunter had the audacity to disregard the governor’s office. His boldness and confidence convinced Morgana and Neegan that following their distant relatives from another country was the right choice. With his lead, the Powells and their career would welcome a bright future. In short, their personal gains
The Vikrom, Logman, and Joestar families came to the funeral. Behind them was a group of eighteen men, carrying an expensive and large casket. What was the casket for? Was it an act of provocation? As the attendees pondered, Gunter, at the forefront, said coldly, “Vikrom, Logman, Joestar, you are late, but since you’ve prepared an expensive casket for Sonny, I’ll spare your lives. “Now, come up here and get on your knees!” Gunter had known since yesterday that the three families bought an expensive gilded agar wood casket. He simply thought the three families were late because of the delivery of the casket. Despite that, he insisted that they kneel and pay respect to Sonny in front of the other attendees because they were Kaze’s loyal followers. With them on their knees, it would send a message to the others, thus deterring and scaring them. As Gunter spoke, the other participants were struck with realization. The three families were late due to the delivery of th
As soon as Bernard’s voice subsided, the air became so heavy that it felt like the air molecules froze. What followed were the shouts from the Powell family. “Vikrom, you are going to die today!” “Where is Kaze Lee?! I will kill him!” …Even Morgana and Neegan, who were more esteemed than the others and could maintain calm in the worst situation possible, could not help but be infuriated by Bernard’s disrespectful words. Kaze asked the three families to prepare the casket for Gunter and demand him to bury himself? How ridiculous! No one believed Kaze had the capability to make it happen, so they could not understand what gave him the confidence to say such bold words. Even if they were just empty words, they were provocatively infuriating. All members of the Powells were fuming with anger. “Master Powell, this is too much! Not only did Kaze Lee refuse to show up and beg for his life, but he continued to challenge you!” “We should not wait any longer! We shall go
“You think you can challenge the Powells just because Kaze Lee is on your side?” As the shouting continued, the killers from the Powells stepped forward, planning to take action. “Step down!” Gunter bellowed all of a sudden. “Master Powell…” One of the gangsters was unhappy that Gunter had stopped them. However, before he could finish his sentence, Mosiah stepped forward from the back and struck the man on the chest with a palm strike. Baam! The gangster was one of the stronger ones from the north, yet he did not even react to the attack in time. The palm strike sent him flying. Blood spurted from his mouth as he crashed to the ground far away. A few tremors later, he died. The air went silent. Gunter’s strongest Legatus was ridiculously powerful! “I said step down!” Gunter did not even spare a glance at the body on the ground. He simply looked at the other killers. All the killers shuddered in fear and decided to comply without saying a word. “Vikrom, Logma
Everyone shuddered in fear when they heard Gunter’s words. Gunter was infuriated by Kaze’s doings. Therefore, he came up with the most wicked and vicious way to get revenge, which was to bury Kaze’s wife together with Sonny and make him watch so that he could never rest in peace. “That is a great idea, Master Powell! We will bury Kaze Lee together!” The killers from the other Powell family branches echoed loudly and agreed with Gunter’s idea. They were stimulated by his speech. The urge to kill Kaze got stronger. “Master Powell, we will be taking our leave now.” The other attendees and mourners dared not linger for long and decided to leave. Even a blind man could tell a war was imminent, or more accurately, a massacre, a one-sided massacre. The Glowmoss Powells were considered a foreign faction, so they were not afraid of the local laws. The locals, however, wished not to be involved. “Let’s go. We will go after Kaze Lee and his family. Also, we will capture ever
Then, Morgana stepped up and stared at Kaze. Her face was emotionless. She said strongly, “On your knees, repent your crimes! Following her strong voice, the unique aura of superiority was blasted at Kaze, attempting to scare and pressure him. Kaze was not just anyone, he was not afraid of the woman. “Who are you?” Since Gunter simply smiled and did not feel like talking, Kaze glanced at Morgana. “How dare you!” Morgana was furious. Her eyes were burning with rage as she bellowed, “I am Morgana Powell, the governor of West Hill of the North State! How dare a mayor of a city speak to me like that?! On your knees!” Kaze was not moved. “Neegan Powell, governor of South Ashmore of the South State.” Neegan stepped up and stood beside Morgana. With a smirk, he said, “Mayor Lee, shouldn’t you be on your knees when you see me? “Oh wait, I just remembered. The send-off party was held at the city council earlier and you are no longer the mayor. You are just a commoner now,
There were nine provinces and eighty-one states in Arcadia. The number of cities in each state varied, ranging from a dozen to as many as thirty. Other than the mega cities under the direct rule of the federal government, which also granted the officers their outstanding authority, a mayor in a rural city was certainly not powerful enough to challenge the top brass. Morgana looked at Kaze condescendingly and said coldly, “Kneel if you know who you are dealing with. You are dead either way, but at least I can ask Master Powell to grant you a swift death.” However, Kaze did not react as the others expected. Instead of kneeling on the ground in terror, he remained composed. “Why is the world filled with stupid idiots like you?” Kaze sighed and shook his head. He said without looking back, “Sven, Wolf, can you two silence our honorable governors? A slap on their faces would do just the job.” He came for Gunter, not the governors whom he did not even bother to remember their nam
Dwight gave some suggestions. “But I’m worried about being a nuisance to your family.” Kaze remained hesitant, torn between decisions. “No, you won’t. I usually live alone. They stay somewhere else. They barely visit. I’ll just let them know not to visit for now,” Dwight replied. Dwight figured out what was in it for him. He could not let Kaze leave. “I don’t want to put your family in an awkward position.”Kaze was still considering the matter. “Relax. They don’t live with me anyway. The room I have for you is tidy. No one has stayed there before.“I’ll hire some help to freshen up the place. I can guarantee you an experience no less than at the hotel.” Dwight spoke with great confidence. “We should finish our food and doggie-bag the rest. I’ll take you to my place.” Dwight was ready to get things going. Kaze took the offer and nodded. “I’ll be in your care then.” Kaze was glad that his plan went through. Dwight had no idea that he got played. Nevertheless,
“I’m new to the place, so I don’t know much. Can you show me around when you’re available?” “No problem, but I usually have some stuff to take care of. I can’t be there 24/7. “Why don’t you propose to the branch that you want me to be your guide and attendant?” Dwight suggested. There was no telling whether Kaze would accept his proposal, but it was an opportunity to prove himself. He was never involved in the core operation. Often enough, he was the branch members’ punching bag. Though Dwight was aware that he was not good enough for the big stuff, he still wanted to succeed. Kaze was the trusted aide of the Butterworth Branch chief. He was in Westeros for a reason. By joining Kaze, Dwight would come across the major players. Kaze saw through Dwight’s plans. “Sure. I’ll do that.” Kaze did not mind the request. “Great. I’ll let them know on your behalf. I’ll be responsible for your needs while in the city.” Dwight was overjoyed at the opportunity. “So you live
“You must be rich. I often see rich people picking tabs for everybody. Talk about extravagance.” The tension in the air was lifted when Kaze offered to pay for everything. “I’m not. Consider it an apology,” Kaze explained, not wanting to cause unnecessary misunderstandings. He did not see the point of continuing the conversation. Dwight’s angry screams came from outside. “What the hell is this? I only ordered a bunch of stuff. Why am I being charged an exorbitant amount?“What do you mean my friend is paying for everybody? That’s throwing money away,” Dwight said while storming his way over. “I know you have money, but you shouldn’t do this, Mr. Lee.” Dwight did not approve of this type of generosity. “You rubbed them the wrong way. It was only right to apologize. Besides, it’s not a lot of money.” Kaze looked at the bill and handed a bank card to Dwight. “It’s my treat.” The consumption was barely a dent in Kaze’s savings. The meal did not cost more than his us
Kaze observed as the jeep took off further off course, past the towering buildings to a run-down neighborhood. “This is where I usually reside. My home is not too far away, but I think you might have trouble adapting to this place.” Dwight did not forget to book Kaze a hotel. Kaze could not possibly stay with him. The hotel was around the area anyway. “Didn’t you say that you haven’t tried the local cuisine? I’ll take you out for a bite. “The barbecue ribs here are to die for. We’ve got the dry-rubbed and saucy kind.” Dwight parked the car and hopped out right away. Opposite the parking lot was not the cleanest food joint. Looking in from the outside, Kaze realized that the place was packed. Kaze understood that the restaurant must be known for some kind of dish. The customers were from all walks of life, so the food must be great. “There’s not much to see here, but the food is tasty. If you don’t mind, we can order something inside.” Kaze was not particularly con
Dwight was surprised and curious as to who Kaze really was. From what he gathered, Kaze was a confidante of the Butterworth Branch chief. The purpose of Kaze’s visit was to learn and share. Dwight worked on the fringes, so his access to information was limited. Nevertheless, he got the feeling that Kaze was just an ordinary guy just like him. The only difference was that Kaze was lucky to rub shoulders with important people. Dwight did not get chances like that. “Who are the most influential people in the Viper’s Den Westeros Branch?” Kaze asked in the car. Dwight was taken aback by the question. Still, he had an answer to that. “So you don’t know much about the situation?” Dwight suddenly felt important. “Well, I’m new to the city. I will be running into them soon, so I need to make sure I get my facts right,” Kaze said humbly. This was Dwight’s shot, and he needed to present his best. “Relax, Kaze. I’ll tell you everything I know.” Dwight would reveal some info
Kaze glanced at the flowers. There was a card for well-wishes too.Curious, Kaze reached out to read the card. It was written, “To my eternal lover and sweetheart.” Dwight grabbed Kaze’s bag. Since the sign in his hand was getting in the way, Dwight tossed the placard in the trash can. As Dwight turned his head back, he saw Kaze reading the card that came with the flowers. He tried to stop Kaze, but it was too late. Dwight had not attended to a guest of high importance before. The task was assigned to him at the last minute. In the past, Dwight was usually on the sidelines, never getting close to major matters. He would always get the small, insignificant jobs. Dwight often bought drinks for his superiors to build connections. However, he had always been kept out of the loop. Now that an opportunity had fallen onto his lap, Dwight was not about to let it slip. He wanted to show what he could do. When Dwight arrived at the airport for the pick-up, most people car
The incident did not sit well with Kaze, so he left them out to dry. After much searching, Kaze came across a café. Kaze bought a cup of coffee. Cupping the drink between his hands, Kaze sipped slowly. Many passengers swarmed the arrival hall in the airport, dragging along their luggage or pulling out their phones to get a pick-up. They all had a destination, a place they had to be in a rush. Intrigued, Kaze followed the crowd out. Kaze turned on his phone, and a text message from his airport pick-up came in. He glanced at the message, curious about who the person was. Nevertheless, Kaze trusted that the Westeros Branch members would not set him up out in the open. At most, they would pull little stunts to mess with him. Kaze was not the type to sweat the small stuff. However, he would not tolerate any extreme behavior. He had been keeping a low profile back in Butterworth, keeping the limelight off him. The purpose was to handle Jet without unnecessary complicati
“Alright. I will work hard to be the manager of the Northborn Group. You need to show me the ropes and teach me about management.” Leah looked at Katie with a smile. She believed Katie had not lost her mind. Katie simply had her memory mixed up. “You need to keep your people in line and reward those who deserve it. It all boils down to profits. “You need to work toward managing your people and working with rivals. You’ve got to keep the balance, and nobody loses out. “You need to build your own system when it comes to working together. Don’t be led around by the nose.” Hearing that Leah would start work soon, Katie imparted her knowledge. “Don’t worry too much about things. Joey is nice. You can go to her for help,” Katie said earnestly. Katie seemed to be herself at the moment. Leah wondered if Katie faked her insanity to escape the punishment. “What have become of you? Did they do something to you? “Did you really betray Kaze?” Leah whispered while leaning close
Leah kept working on her knowledge until late into the night. Just as she was about to hit the sack, she got a message from Snow. Learning was a hard enough process. The text message came out of the blue. Leah did not expect Snow to contact her at night. The message was strange as well. Leah could not understand why Snow would give her the address of a nursing home. Leah was determined to turn things around. She strived to become stronger instead of being a burden. She was grateful for Kaze’s help. At least, she had a job now. However, her gratitude was not extended to Snow. She believed Snow had gone too far. Snow left her feeling powerless. Leah did not think much about the message. She assumed that the text was not meant for her. Since Leah did not respond to the text, Snow put the matter aside and went to bed. Leah called Snow the next day. “Why did you send me an address?” Leah went straight to the question. She had been equipping herself with knowledge before