Chapter 89: The Birth of a Mercenary Syndicate

The words did not sound a lot like what an average man would say. Magnus thought that he had misheard.

Evelyn turned to Lucian, raising her eyebrows.

"You want to set up a mercenary organization?"

"Yes," Lucian said.

"Your own?"

"That is the point of setting one up."

She looked him over with an incredulous look on her face. For a moment, she studied him.

"Have you ever answered a question properly?"

"Sometimes."

"You would have fooled me."

Evelyn shook her head, while Magnus did not look amused at all

He tried to think through what could possibly give rise to such an outlandish suggestion. Starting a mercenary organization was not a game for anyone, let alone one who had already built a reputation within some of the best mercenaries around.

"What changed your mind?" he asked after a long pause

Lucian locked eyes with him. "If I am going down that road, I don’t see any sense in wasting my time with someone else calling the shots."

"A real organization, one that already has a manpower, network, good reputation, etc., is more than able to get you started. It would most likely be easier and take a lot lesser time than building one up from scratch," Magnus said.

"Of course," Lucian replied.

"But you still want to do this?"

"Indeed I do."

Magnus drummed his fingers on the desk, studying his young companion.

"Then tell me, what exactly do you intend to accomplish by establishing your own organization?"

Lucian didn’t bat an eyelid. He took a deep breath.

"I need an organization that allows me to hold on to my people and strike when I deem appropriate. It gives me flexibility to run my business, accept jobs and deal with all the other sundry matters that have nothing to do with cultivation."

Lucian paused momentarily before continuing, "More importantly, I would be able to build an organization of my very own requirements."

Magnus narrowed his eyes. "Your people?"

Lucian simply nodded. "My Shadow Soldiers and other independent assets."

A hint of surprise broke through Magnus’s composed mask.

"Shadow Soldiers?"

"Yes."

"Who are they?"

"People capable of handling assignments that ordinary mercenaries aren’t suited for."

Lucian made no attempt to elaborate any further. Any knowledge about the Shadow Soldiers would only draw more questions, more suspicions, even if it was from good intentions. After all, the Shadow Soldiers were more than just mercenaries. They were elite killers who worked undercover, perfecting their art in silence and stealth, disappearing before anyone could realize that anything happened at all.

This, incidentally, was also the main reason why Lucian valued his independence so much. The existence of the Shadow Soldiers necessitated his independence and it, in turn, helped the survival of these soldiers. A mercenary organization would be perfect to cover up for them, for giving them the means to recruit new people, gather resources, as well as dealing with everyday mundane matters.

Magnus remained silent for a moment. He knew in his heart what Lucian wanted to accomplish. This was the last thing he thought Lucian would propose. A normal young cultivator of Lucian’s age would never ask to set up an organization. Maybe, the young man was thinking of asking for an introduction to a rich and influential syndicate. Even then, Lucian would probably get special treatment for being so outstandingly talented.

But no, Lucian thought otherwise, that is certain. And this was the biggest difference between young Lucian and all the other young and ambitious cultivators Magnus had dealt with before. This was the first time, Magnus found himself facing a young man with completely different aspirations

Rather than rising up the ranks in a prestigious martial academy, earning fame and fortune through strength of arms, Lucian wanted freedom - the freedom to do as he pleased,

though, of course only so far it did not interfere with the freedom of others. Magnus found that he respected the conviction of that ideal deeply.

After a pause, Magnus let out a small smile,

’Interesting.’

Evelyn shot a look at her father. ’That’s not a good smile. That usually means someone is about to have a lot of headaches.’

Magnus ignored her. "Alright, Lucian. If you want to start a mercenary operation, I’ll make sure you are going to know what you have gotten yourself into."

Lucian’s eyes darkened. "Are you saying that you support the idea?"

"I am saying that I will help from the sidelines as long as you understand the scope of the responsibility you are taking up."

Magnus leaned forward. "Starting an organization is easy. Making one out to be successful now that is a whole different ballgame of its own. It will definitely need a legitimate registration, some sort of working system behind the scenes, a good reputation in the right circles as well as a strong clout to vouch for its worth."

His eyes crinkled at the corner as he smiled, "But if you really want to try your hardest, I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t support you in this endeavor."

Lucian bowed his head in gratitude. "Thank you, uncle."

"Don’t thank me yet, boy. I haven’t given my blessing for you to blow all your money away yet."

Evelyn snorted. "Then he would be doing well to start saving up for your debts."

Lucian shot her a surprised look in reply. "I haven’t spent anything yet."

She tapped her temple. "You blew up a nice testing equipment this morning.",

"All investments in research and development, "Lucian said offhandedly.

"This research of yours, is it telling you how fast you can wreck your environment?"

"That is precisely it."

Magnus shook his head, amused. He had not felt so relaxed since he had taken over Sterling Manor.

As he looked at Lucian, thoughts of what the young man had said before wandered back into his head. Shadow Soldiers, independent assets, an organization of his very own...

Magnus had seen his kind before. In his years as a member of the prestigious Federation Alliance, he had come across ambitious young men, just like Lucian. But what was the goal of these young men? Fame, fortune? Being powerful enough to be feared? No, Lucian had something else in mind. That was obvious.

Freedom.

The desire to be free was the greatest motivator for people.

Not the ’freedom’ of getting away with whatever you desired to do. But the freedom of being allowed - no, required to do something you desired to do.

Lucian wanted freedom. Lucian wanted to carve out his own path through his own hands, not under the wing of some master.

Lucian wanted to choose his own path, and more importantly to have the clout to enforce it.

Magnus slowly clasped his hand together on the table.

’Now, Lucian,’ he said, ’are you going to tell us what you want to name the organization?’

Lucian frowned but said nothing. That was all the response Magnus needed. He smiled.

"Lucian, as you are about to build an organization of your very own, we had better pick something memorable for it."