“What do you have in mind?” Siegfried asked the Kairos who stood straight with shining resolution in his eyes.

“For now, I planned to open a shop at this location,” he handed the blacksmith a small slip containing the directions to the shop he just purchased.

“It is for vending the weapons I had refined. However, my initial plans are to purchase ready-made weapons to inscribe. Since uncle Siegfried can craft weapons, would you like to be our blacksmith?”

“Well, that will depend if your shop is good enough to hire me. Don’t forget your uncle Siegfried is actually a top-tier blacksmith back where he comes from.”

While the tone of the man is still as solemn as he was at the start, but to his surprise, his mannerisms had turned friendly. Somehow, before he realised, he had acknowledged the other party.

All of a sudden, he thought that his son was standing right next to Kairos and smiling proudly. But when he blinked again, the phantom had already disappeared.

“Uncle Siegfried, you definitely won’t be disappointed with the shop. Since you will be helping us out, there are definitely things you need for your smithy. Please buy them with this!”

Kairos handed the man a pouch that contained some valuables and coins. Most of those valuables were the bribes taken from Principal Gai, and the coins itself are a substantial amount worth ten White Gold. With that amount he can purchase almost any kind of smithy he wants.

Looking at the sum in his hand, Siegfried gave the young man a startled look, but he knows this is the person that his son had chosen to give up his life for; the value of Sieg’s death now depends on what choices Kairos makes.

“Uncle Siegfried, if you require any material in your crafting you can look for this lady called Xuan Xian. She will help you arrange things properly. There are ten families under her that will complete any material orders, so don’t need to worry at all.”

“That many? And this young man is taking care of all of them?

Indeed, my son has a good eye for people.

Sieg, you may be gone now, and you cannot come home, but one day I will go to you.

That day, I will tell you I have watched this young man walk his path, and I made sure that the life you have given up on is worth it.”

The lives in this day and age are ridiculously cheap. People are dying every day, starved to death in the streets or met with bad people, most of them left this world without achieving anything and worse off, not leaving anything behind. To be party of hope – even giving up one’s life in the process – is no doubt meaningful.

When the group went towards the second house, Siegfried did not even bother to go back into his house and immediately made his way to the location where Kairos said his shop is.

When he reached the building, a splendorous sight floored him.

A tall and well-elaborated building stood proudly right in the middle of the busy street of the largest market in the entire city. Although this location is famous for having many high-class equipments retails, there are only entertainment businesses and restaurants in its immediate surroundings.

One can see just how strategic this location is.

“Haha… to think I hoped for ‘good enough’… this place is top-class! With this location, and how this building looks, even if I’m a horrible blacksmith, I will be able to market my crafts. If I still fail, I might as well hang up my sign.”

The man called Siegfried walked into the building. The barrier that prevents outsiders from entering opened for him when it sensed Kairos’ imprint.

High-class shop buildings such as this one will require the owner to register his imprint. Following that, all personnel that receive this imprint from him can gain access to the building.

Of course, when the outlet started running properly, the barrier at the front section of the shop will be completely removed to allow public access, but the staff sections will still be kept private.

….

Back at the slums, Kairos and his group have already met with the two other families.

It was no surprise that they know each other and were close friends with Uncle Siegfried. They were all single parents, and each was a master of their own trade prior to coming to Saint Empire.

At the first family, they went to, they met Uncle Laksa who is an old man crazy about creating the perfect food. When he heard that his son Luk, had also perished in the same battle as Sieg had, he cried blaring loud and deliberately broke his wok into pieces in his dismay.

As a chef who is proud of his food and treats his wok preciously, he destroyed it when he heard of his son’s death.

This heart-wrenching display of affection caused the brothers to fall silent as tears ran down their cheeks.

Now they finally know why Kairos chose to do what he does for these families.

Which person here does not have parents?

Kairos stood firmly in front of Uncle Laksa, and he continued to tell him calmly on what his son did. After going through everything that happened a few times, finally, a weak smile appeared on the old man’s face.

His son is indeed a brave soul, just as he remembered.

Since young, no matter what kind of harsh environment he faced, the child would never bow his little head. No matter how dangerous the situation is, even when they faced the aftermath of a losing war in the north, he still held his old man’s hand and saying with his boyish voice that they will be fine.

Maybe he had only lived for twelve years. A very short time indeed. But his life was bright like a scorching sun and worthy of praise.

How many practitioners have lived countless years yet passed their time meaninglessly and have not done anything thing comparable to his son?

To live and die for something and someone that he believed in.

His son had done it, and now the one whom he died for is here as proof that it wasn’t for nothing.

“My family comes from a line of royal cooks in the north. When I came to Saint Empire, I had been boastful that with my family’s culinary arts we will soon be rolling in dough. But the truth is, I am the one that caused my family to be bankrupted.

None would hire me since I am from an unknown land and they do not trust that my food is freed of their little game o’ politics.

Because of my pride as a chef, I had refused to prove myself, thinking that my skills will do the talking. I had felt that their thoughts that I might add poison to my food an insult to my arts.

I am the one that had bankrupted my family. My stubbornness! I am the one that had killed my son!”

Hearing him said that, Kairos couldn’t help but wordlessly embrace him. The prideful face of a master chef is now wet with tears and trembling with grief. There are no pretty words that undo what happened.

The martial arts world is harsh and cruel. Those that are strong will get all the benefits and resources, while the weak can’t even complain if they die.

After telling Laksa about the shop, he handed the man a similar pouch that Siegfried was given and told him to go there. Fortunately, this man had taken to the young boys like his own family and promised to head over to their shop once he had calmed down.

The last family they met were no easier than the ones before. A lady called Helena answered the door when Kairos and his group came.

This lady is the mother of Xiu Xiu, a young girl who was part of Sieg and Luk’s team and also perished in the same battle.

She was a master herbalist before coming to Saint Empire, the three families had fled together thinking that with their arts, they would do well, especially in a country where craftsmen are not favoured.

They had believed that because of their specialisation, because of how rare top-notched craftsmen are here, they would be exceptions.

Their ideas were great, but the truth is harsh; they have sorely underestimated the prejudice in this place.

When Helena heard how her daughter Xiu Xiu had died, she slapped Kairos with her all might.

This slap that resounded throughout the alley was slow to the point that practitioners had to wait patiently to get hit, but the boy received it without flinching.

He looked up at the older lady’s face that is now pouring with tears, and he said with a tone that is only a soft whisper to her, “Madam, your daughter had lived her life like a brilliant meteor that raced across the heavens. I am here so that she is remembered and that I do not dishonour her actions.

But, if you want to claim my life in return for hers, I will not bat an eye.”

Once again, the woman slapped Kairos, but this time there was no force behind her palm.

She fell like a heap onto the floor, weeping and trembling uncontrollably.

Even as she called fate a bastard for taking away her daughter, she knew how merciless and cruel this world is.

Her husband had not survived the track to Saint Empire, and now her daughter has also left her.

Although she is so upset at this moment that she cannot think, but later on as she calms down, she realised that if not because this young boy who came in front of her saying that he is here to honour her daughter’s actions, she might have taken her own life.

If Helena had found out by herself that her daughter died, she would no doubt only think about how her life has ended along with the death. There will no longer be a reason for her to live since her family is broken by war and poverty.

But somehow, the words that this young boy said sounded magical to her, and it brought her back from the brink.

‘Honour’, it is a word which gives meaning to her daughter’s death.

If she had carried out the unthinkable and killed herself because she lost her only child, then she would have destroyed the significance of her daughter’s death.

If an outsider can shoulder the responsibility, then she can take responsibility to live well as well.

“Xiu Xiu would have wanted that.”

Just like before with the other two families, Kairos left Helena after giving her the location of his shop and a small pouch. This time the pouch contained some herbs and medical pills that he received from Principal Gai besides the same amount of coins.

When the group made their way out of the slums back to the main street, they walked slowly, burdened by their heavy hearts.

They finally understood why Kairos had brought them here today.

The three killed in battle were members of the Snowdrifts, and Kairos, Jones, Edward, Jim, Tommy and Alan are the leaders of this group. In the future, their decisions will implicate more lives like this, and they must do so lightly.

Each member’s death demands a meaning and each person’s life needs to be precious in the hands of the leaders.

They solemnly return to the dorm without a word.

“Guys, give me three days to get our shop ready for operation… then after that, let’s meet again to shop for the things we’ll need for the half-year-long break.”

He knew that they will need a couple of days to calm their hearts and organise their thoughts.

However, with his mentioning of preparing for their trip home, an overwhelming desire to become stronger entered everyone’s heart.

They really don’t want to see the incident today repeat itself anymore.

Even if that is not possible, if they could prevent just one person from weeping, they would do all they could.

They will train themselves to death, just so that they can be strong enough to protect those around them; that someone else may not need to feel what these three families had gone through today.