"What's going on up there?" the little girl asked, sheltering from the rain under a house with an overhanging roof. Her old, dirty boots indicated that she had traveled a long way. The mud on her red dress and nose made it clear that she had crashed on her way there. She had long ears and slightly chubby cheeks. Her lush green eyes gave her an air of beauty. Perhaps due to her youth or a natural trait, her nose wasn't particularly large or ugly. Her wet black hair escaped from under her raincoat like a captive trying to break free, distracting the little girl.
Next to her stood a middle-aged, stooped man. He held a toolbox and stared wide-eyed at the mansion not far from them. Sometimes violent auras emanated from the mansion, frightening the old man. But he never let go of his daughter's hand. He took a deep breath and moved toward the house. He pulled his bewildered daughter along with him.
"When powerful experts argue, their emotions and auras can spill out," said the middle-aged man. He had advised his daughter many times to be respectful of such people.
As he approached the house, he hesitated to enter. He had been ordered to come here, so he should have knocked. However, he was also afraid of having come at the wrong time. A wise man would have waited for the intense auras to subside, not wanting to provoke such powerful individuals. However, this man had endured considerable suffering in his youth and had sustained numerous head injuries while searching for gold. Consequently, his mind hadn't always functioned properly. This had worsened, especially after his wife's death. The chill in the air and his daughter's discomfort led him to knock on the door after a brief moment of hesitation. He thought he would be reprimanded for such a trivial reason. But he hadn't realized how worthless his life could seem to others.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
The knock abruptly cut off the aura emanating from the house. A few seconds of silence felt like a lifetime. The intense aura had subsided, but the rain seemed to intensify, and the wind blew harder. The man held his daughter's hand tighter. However, the girl seemed to understand very little of what was happening.
SCREAK...
Contrary to the middle-aged man's expectations, it was a small child who opened the door. The child had a large scar on his face and gray eyes. He was blind.
Although the middle-aged man had never cultivated, he had the ability to recognize a cultivator. He couldn't detect the boy's strength, but he could tell that the boy was a cultivator. He spoke gently, not wanting to provoke the boy, assuming that families with cultivator children had more powerful members.
"I'm here to spray the mansion and install the cooler, sir," he said. Mais didn't notice the girl. He nodded at the man.
"Apparently, you're not very aware."
"Huh?"
"Come inside."
Mais went inside, tapped around with his cane, found his seat, and sat down. The plumber and his daughter, who had followed him, also stared in amazement. Details like the high ceiling and spaciousness of the room were striking. It wasn't surprising that this place was called a mansion. They also noticed the large garden wall. The owner must have been wealthy.
"Your father must have been quite wealthy, sir."
"I don't know if you're trying to find ridiculous topics to talk to me about or if you're just plain stupid," Mais said without turning his head. At that moment, a shrill voice rang out from the direction of the man.
"My father isn't stupid! Don't call him that!"
"Huh? Was there someone else here, too?"
WHOOSH!
The air around him suddenly seemed to chill. The young girl felt goosebumps rise on her skin. Her father, however, watched the blind young man with wide eyes. He knew the young man was a cultivator, but he hadn't expected him to be so powerful as to exert such pressure. After all, he was just a child. He spoke in panic.
"Sir, it's just my daughter! She's been with me from the beginning. I apologize for her rudeness. It won't happen again. Please have mercy!"
The cold aura only lasted a little while longer. Mais calmed down again after making skeptical gestures. The plumber breathed a sigh of relief while the young girl looked at Mais with bewildered eyes.
"Are you... very strong?" she asked involuntarily. The plumber once again complained about his daughter's inability to remain silent, but Mais didn't react angrily to the question.
"According to you, I am."
The middle-aged man sensed that being around this child was dangerous.
"With your permission, I'd like to take care of my business. Could you send someone to help me? I don't want to get into any trouble."
"They'll be here shortly. You can wait here."
With Mais's permission, the father and daughter sat on the couch and began to gaze curiously at everything around them. Unlike them, Mais didn't do anything. Cultivating was pointless, and caring for the things around him was impossible. He just stood there. Doing nothing.
'I need someone to read the scrolls.'
That way, at least, Tao could continue developing. Then, he could use the stage of feeling Tao to step into the Sage Realm.
"Does it hurt?" the shrill voice asked again.
"Huh?"
"Your eyes. Do they hurt?"
"Young lady! You've said enough! How shameful what you're saying—"
"They don't hurt. And address me with more respect. We're not equals," Mais said. Her father scolded her, too. But the words seemed to go in one ear and out the other.
Shortly after, Anika arrived with the other maids and showed the plumber the problem areas. The middle-aged man wanted to take his daughter with him, but she whined and insisted on staying in the room. Even though the man regretted bringing her here today, he reluctantly left his daughter's side after Mais agreed to let her stay. The moment they left, the girl's jaw dropped.
"Before we came in here, my father told me there were very powerful people inside. Where are the other powerful people?"
"They learned the conditions needed to get what they wanted and left."
"And how strong are they? As strong as an elephant?"
"An elephant? How do you know about elephants?"
"My mother told me about them in her storybook."
Mais paused for a second. He had never seen an elephant before and had only read about them in books. He wasn't quite sure how much stronger a sage was than an elephant.
"I don't know. I've never met an elephant before," Mais said. He actually had a curious expression on his face. The young woman responded to Mais, itching from the dirt in her hair.
"My mother said it was in the Dry Forest. If you want to see an elephant, you can look there. But since I'm giving you this information, you have to take me with you," she said. She was itching so much that fleas were crawling on Mais. Mais winced. He didn't care that much about what the girl said.
"Annabeth!"
After he called, a young woman wearing a maid's uniform appeared. She had curly hair and looked quite panicked. She appeared to be in her twenties.
"Give that girl, whose name I don't know, a shower. She smells awful. Give her a new dress, too."
Indeed, the little girl's red dress was looking worse for wear, and she had already gotten the seats pretty dirty.
Annabeth nodded and quickly grabbed the girl, dragging her deeper into the mansion. The little girl still didn't seem to understand what was happening.
"Hey, don't you need permission first?!"
Annabeth patted the girl's back, silencing her. But she hadn't expected Mais to suddenly stop them.
"Wait, little girl. What's your name?"
Although her name wasn't very important to Mais, he now had a plan in mind and suddenly wanted to know the girl's name. As Annabeth dragged her away, the little girl turned her head and smiled.
"My name is Valeria, but you can call me Val."
Maybe this little girl could solve Mais's problems.