Chapter 151: 151 – Ren Travels
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Ren tapped his chin thoughtfully. "The first time Fang and I met the Dragon Queen – she made a pass at me," he said. "Now, anyone with eyes can see that Fang is far more attractive than I am. He is so beautiful. For ordinary people, I can still understand that they would find me more profitable back then, because Fang was still a high school student at the time, after all – but for someone powerful like the Dragon Queen, it didn't make sense at all that she would take to me and not to Fang."
Wolf rolled his eyes. "So someone's behaviour is strange because they made a pass at you and not at Fang?" he asked. "What kind of logic is that?"
Ren shook his head. "It's not just that, of course. It's the fact that she seemed actually quite delighted when I turned her down point blank and not only did she not take offence, but she has also become one of our biggest supporters since then. Don't you find it a bit odd?" he asked.
Wolf frowned. "You have brought a lot of profits to the Dragon Nation," he pointed out. "Isn't it natural for the monarch of that country to have a lot of goodwill towards you?"
"But it is much more than goodwill, isn't it? You have seen how the people from the Dragon Nation are very protective about Fang and I and our family. That kind of a thing has to flow from the top, doesn't it? No matter how much profits I bring to the country, if the monarch doesn't like me, the people wouldn't be that good to us," Ren pointed out.
Wolf's frown deepened. "What are you trying to say? That the Dragon Queen recognised Fang as her nephew?" he asked, his voice laced with doubt. "But if that was the case, then why hasn't she said anything?"
"Fang doesn't know anything about his origins," Ren said. "If she really wanted him to remain safe, she wouldn't say anything about it either, would she? After all, the moment someone got to know that Fang was the child of the crown princess of the Valley Kingdom and the prince of the Dragon Nation – his life would be in danger, wouldn't it?" he asked.
"Makes sense," Wolf said. "For any well wisher of Fang, seeing how fiercely protective you are of him would definitely be a comfort."
"But now that the royals of the Valley Kingdom have found Fang – we definitely have to do something about it," Ren said in a hard voice. "Wolf, I don't want Fang to know about this right now, not until we are able to confirm everything beyond doubt."
Wolf nodded. This was huge, after all, and as long as there was a margin for error and until they could confirm their speculations conclusively, it didn't make sense to involve Fang and cause him unnecessary heartache.
"I need to speak with the Dragon Queen," Ren said quietly.
"I'll get Pax to make the arrangements," Wolf said hastily. The Dragon Queen was coming down next week to attend Ren's birthday party anyway – but that was a surprise for Ren that was being planned meticulously by Fang, and Wolf absolutely didn't want to ruin the surprise.
Ren nodded. "Pax needs to know about this as well – but please keep it from anyone else for now, especially Fang," he said, rubbing his temples. "I don't want Fang to be unnecessarily upset. Once we have found out the truth, we'll tell him everything."
Wolf was in full agreement with Ren's thoughts.
"Don't worry, kid," Wolf said gently. "We will find out the truth, and no matter what, we are always on the side of you and Fang."
"Thank you," Ren said gratefully.
Wolf waved away his gratitude.
And thus, the very next day, Ren was flying off to the Dragon Nation to meet the Dragon Queen – who was probably his future aunt in law!
Pax had made sure to remind that officials in the Dragon Nation that the birthday party was a surprise for Ren being planned by Fang, and that no one was to mention anything about the party to Ren at all. The officials had promised not to say anything, but they had been concerned that the Dragon Queen might. To their surprise, however, when they had mentioned Pax's special request to the Dragon Queen, she had burst out laughing and had been very supportive of the idea!
Not for the first time, the high ranking officials of the Dragon Nation had a feeling that their monarch, the Dragon Queen, was treating Chairman Ren and his partner Fang as if they were her own young relatives!
Ren had told Fang that there was an important business deal he needed to finalise with the Dragon Queen and this would help them with their business for both Sirocco and Zephyr. Fang would never doubt Ren's words – and Ren indeed did have a business plan that he would get the Dragon Queen to approve – it's just that the business wasn't so big that it would warrant a personal visit by Ren to the Dragon Nation, nor would it involve the Dragon Queen herself. However, other than Ren and the Dragon Queen, no one else knew that the real reason Ren wanted to meet her was something else.
Because, it had become widely known by now that Sirocco was on a warpath with the Valley Kingdom and had suddenly withdrawn all its business from the Valley Kingdom in its entirety, and while this had caused some loss on part of Sirocco, the effect on the Valley Kingdom was much, much worse. And with Sirocco pulling out, many other business houses started to pull out as well – because Chairman Ren had the reputation of being a scrupulously clean businessman, and even if it caused a loss, he would pull out from anything that was unethical or shady. And the sudden withdrawal from the Valley Kingdom – where most of the businesses were owned by the family of the current empress of the Valley Kingdom – raised a lot of questions, and because Ren and Sirocco were known to be uncompromising in terms of business ethics, the conclusion that most people drew was that there must be something wrong with the businesses being run by the family of the current empress of the Valley Kingdom. Besides, a lot of people had been dissatisfied with their attitude in general anyway, and Chairman Ren doing this was simply a confirmation of what they had originally suspected anyway!
Thus, Valley Kingdom's entire economy had taken a sudden nose dive, and this had already become an international incident. Naturally, the people of the Dragon Nation were also aware of this development, and so was the Dragon Queen. So, when the request for an urgent meeting from Chairman Ren had come to the Dragon Queen, she had agreed immediately.
When Ren landed in the Dragon Nation, he was immediately escorted directly to the imperial palace to an inner meeting room where the Dragon Queen was waiting for him.
Ren greeted her politely, and the Dragon Queen, too, welcomed him with a smile. Then she dismissed all the servants and announced that she would be speaking with Ren alone.
Ren heaved a sigh of relief. It was clear to him that the Dragon Queen had anticipated their discussion, and he didn't know yet if he was surprised or relieved or dismayed by what this action of hers seemed to indicate.
As soon as the last servant left, Ren quietly put up a privacy ward around the room, which would ensure that even if someone was trying to eavesdrop on their conversation, they would be able to hear nothing, and if there were any mechanical bugs or listening devices planted in the room, all they would get would be a statis noise and a pixelated video that would make it impossible to gather any data!
The Dragon Queen stared at Ren in shock.
"Chairman Ren – you – you are a magician?" she asked incredulously.
Ren frowned. The privacy ward he had set up just now was invisible, and unless the person who saw him set it up had magic themselves, they would not be able to feel anything at all.
This was outside of Ren's expectations.
"Your Majesty," Ren said quietly. "Do you possess magic as well?"
The Dragon Queen nodded.
Ren smiled. "Then I suppose the magic possessed by Fang comes from your side of the family?" he asked.
The Dragon Queen nodded again, and then, realising what she had just agreed to, she burst out laughing. "You are a very clever young man, Chairman Ren," she said with a smile. "Now tell me, why exactly are you on a warpath with the Valley Kingdom, and what did they do to make you so angry?"
"They targeted my Fang," Ren said simply. "And I won't let anyone harm Fang."
The Dragon Queen frowned.. "What did those horrible people do now?" she demanded.
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Ren tapped his chin thoughtfully. "The first time Fang and I met the Dragon Queen – she made a pass at me," he said. "Now, anyone with eyes can see that Fang is far more attractive than I am. He is so beautiful. For ordinary people, I can still understand that they would find me more profitable back then, because Fang was still a high school student at the time, after all – but for someone powerful like the Dragon Queen, it didn't make sense at all that she would take to me and not to Fang."
Wolf rolled his eyes. "So someone's behaviour is strange because they made a pass at you and not at Fang?" he asked. "What kind of logic is that?"
Ren shook his head. "It's not just that, of course. It's the fact that she seemed actually quite delighted when I turned her down point blank and not only did she not take offence, but she has also become one of our biggest supporters since then. Don't you find it a bit odd?" he asked.
Wolf frowned. "You have brought a lot of profits to the Dragon Nation," he pointed out. "Isn't it natural for the monarch of that country to have a lot of goodwill towards you?"
"But it is much more than goodwill, isn't it? You have seen how the people from the Dragon Nation are very protective about Fang and I and our family. That kind of a thing has to flow from the top, doesn't it? No matter how much profits I bring to the country, if the monarch doesn't like me, the people wouldn't be that good to us," Ren pointed out.
Wolf's frown deepened. "What are you trying to say? That the Dragon Queen recognised Fang as her nephew?" he asked, his voice laced with doubt. "But if that was the case, then why hasn't she said anything?"
"Fang doesn't know anything about his origins," Ren said. "If she really wanted him to remain safe, she wouldn't say anything about it either, would she? After all, the moment someone got to know that Fang was the child of the crown princess of the Valley Kingdom and the prince of the Dragon Nation – his life would be in danger, wouldn't it?" he asked.
"Makes sense," Wolf said. "For any well wisher of Fang, seeing how fiercely protective you are of him would definitely be a comfort."
"But now that the royals of the Valley Kingdom have found Fang – we definitely have to do something about it," Ren said in a hard voice. "Wolf, I don't want Fang to know about this right now, not until we are able to confirm everything beyond doubt."
Wolf nodded. This was huge, after all, and as long as there was a margin for error and until they could confirm their speculations conclusively, it didn't make sense to involve Fang and cause him unnecessary heartache.
"I need to speak with the Dragon Queen," Ren said quietly.
"I'll get Pax to make the arrangements," Wolf said hastily. The Dragon Queen was coming down next week to attend Ren's birthday party anyway – but that was a surprise for Ren that was being planned meticulously by Fang, and Wolf absolutely didn't want to ruin the surprise.
Ren nodded. "Pax needs to know about this as well – but please keep it from anyone else for now, especially Fang," he said, rubbing his temples. "I don't want Fang to be unnecessarily upset. Once we have found out the truth, we'll tell him everything."
Wolf was in full agreement with Ren's thoughts.
"Don't worry, kid," Wolf said gently. "We will find out the truth, and no matter what, we are always on the side of you and Fang."
"Thank you," Ren said gratefully.
Wolf waved away his gratitude.
And thus, the very next day, Ren was flying off to the Dragon Nation to meet the Dragon Queen – who was probably his future aunt in law!
Pax had made sure to remind that officials in the Dragon Nation that the birthday party was a surprise for Ren being planned by Fang, and that no one was to mention anything about the party to Ren at all. The officials had promised not to say anything, but they had been concerned that the Dragon Queen might. To their surprise, however, when they had mentioned Pax's special request to the Dragon Queen, she had burst out laughing and had been very supportive of the idea!
Not for the first time, the high ranking officials of the Dragon Nation had a feeling that their monarch, the Dragon Queen, was treating Chairman Ren and his partner Fang as if they were her own young relatives!
Ren had told Fang that there was an important business deal he needed to finalise with the Dragon Queen and this would help them with their business for both Sirocco and Zephyr. Fang would never doubt Ren's words – and Ren indeed did have a business plan that he would get the Dragon Queen to approve – it's just that the business wasn't so big that it would warrant a personal visit by Ren to the Dragon Nation, nor would it involve the Dragon Queen herself. However, other than Ren and the Dragon Queen, no one else knew that the real reason Ren wanted to meet her was something else.
Because, it had become widely known by now that Sirocco was on a warpath with the Valley Kingdom and had suddenly withdrawn all its business from the Valley Kingdom in its entirety, and while this had caused some loss on part of Sirocco, the effect on the Valley Kingdom was much, much worse. And with Sirocco pulling out, many other business houses started to pull out as well – because Chairman Ren had the reputation of being a scrupulously clean businessman, and even if it caused a loss, he would pull out from anything that was unethical or shady. And the sudden withdrawal from the Valley Kingdom – where most of the businesses were owned by the family of the current empress of the Valley Kingdom – raised a lot of questions, and because Ren and Sirocco were known to be uncompromising in terms of business ethics, the conclusion that most people drew was that there must be something wrong with the businesses being run by the family of the current empress of the Valley Kingdom. Besides, a lot of people had been dissatisfied with their attitude in general anyway, and Chairman Ren doing this was simply a confirmation of what they had originally suspected anyway!
Thus, Valley Kingdom's entire economy had taken a sudden nose dive, and this had already become an international incident. Naturally, the people of the Dragon Nation were also aware of this development, and so was the Dragon Queen. So, when the request for an urgent meeting from Chairman Ren had come to the Dragon Queen, she had agreed immediately.
When Ren landed in the Dragon Nation, he was immediately escorted directly to the imperial palace to an inner meeting room where the Dragon Queen was waiting for him.
Ren greeted her politely, and the Dragon Queen, too, welcomed him with a smile. Then she dismissed all the servants and announced that she would be speaking with Ren alone.
Ren heaved a sigh of relief. It was clear to him that the Dragon Queen had anticipated their discussion, and he didn't know yet if he was surprised or relieved or dismayed by what this action of hers seemed to indicate.
As soon as the last servant left, Ren quietly put up a privacy ward around the room, which would ensure that even if someone was trying to eavesdrop on their conversation, they would be able to hear nothing, and if there were any mechanical bugs or listening devices planted in the room, all they would get would be a statis noise and a pixelated video that would make it impossible to gather any data!
The Dragon Queen stared at Ren in shock.
"Chairman Ren – you – you are a magician?" she asked incredulously.
Ren frowned. The privacy ward he had set up just now was invisible, and unless the person who saw him set it up had magic themselves, they would not be able to feel anything at all.
This was outside of Ren's expectations.
"Your Majesty," Ren said quietly. "Do you possess magic as well?"
The Dragon Queen nodded.
Ren smiled. "Then I suppose the magic possessed by Fang comes from your side of the family?" he asked.
The Dragon Queen nodded again, and then, realising what she had just agreed to, she burst out laughing. "You are a very clever young man, Chairman Ren," she said with a smile. "Now tell me, why exactly are you on a warpath with the Valley Kingdom, and what did they do to make you so angry?"
"They targeted my Fang," Ren said simply. "And I won't let anyone harm Fang."
The Dragon Queen frowned.. "What did those horrible people do now?" she demanded.
Ren tapped his chin thoughtfully. "The first time Fang and I met the Dragon Queen she made a pass at me," he said. "Now, anyone with eyes can see that Fang is far more attractive than I am. He is so beautiful. For ordinary people, I can still understand that they would find me more profitable back then, because Fang was still a high school student at the time, after all but for someone powerful like the Dragon Queen, it didn't make sense at all that she would take to me and not to Fang."Wolf rolled his eyes. "So someone's behaviour is strange because they made a pass at you and not at Fang?" he asked. "What kind of logic is that?"Ren shook his head. "It's not just that, of course. It's the fact that she seemed actually quite delighted when I turned her down point blank and not only did she not take offence, but she has also become one of our biggest supporters since then. Don't you find it a bit odd?" he asked.Wolf frowned. "You have brought a lot of profits to the Dragon Nation," he pointed out. "Isn't it natural for the monarch of that country to have a lot of goodwill towards you?""But it is much more than goodwill, isn't it? You have seen how the people from the Dragon Nation are very protective about Fang and I and our family. That kind of a thing has to flow from the top, doesn't it? No matter how much profits I bring to the country, if the monarch doesn't like me, the people wouldn't be that good to us," Ren pointed out.Wolf's frown deepened. "What are you trying to say? That the Dragon Queen recognised Fang as her nephew?" he asked, his voice laced with doubt. "But if that was the case, then why hasn't she said anything?""Fang doesn't know anything about his origins," Ren said. "If she really wanted him to remain safe, she wouldn't say anything about it either, would she? After all, the moment someone got to know that Fang was the child of the crown princess of the Valley Kingdom and the prince of the Dragon Nation his life would be in danger, wouldn't it?" he asked."Makes sense," Wolf said. "For any well wisher of Fang, seeing how fiercely protective you are of him would definitely be a comfort.""But now that the royals of the Valley Kingdom have found Fang we definitely have to do something about it," Ren said in a hard voice. "Wolf, I don't want Fang to know about this right now, not until we are able to confirm everything beyond doubt."Wolf nodded. This was huge, after all, and as long as there was a margin for error and until they could confirm their speculations conclusively, it didn't make sense to involve Fang and cause him unnecessary heartache."I need to speak with the Dragon Queen," Ren said quietly."I'll get Pax to make the arrangements," Wolf said hastily. The Dragon Queen was coming down next week to attend Ren's birthday party anyway but that was a surprise for Ren that was being planned meticulously by Fang, and Wolf absolutely didn't want to ruin the surprise.Ren nodded. "Pax needs to know about this as well but please keep it from anyone else for now, especially Fang," he said, rubbing his temples. "I don't want Fang to be unnecessarily upset. Once we have found out the truth, we'll tell him everything."Wolf was in full agreement with Ren's thoughts."Don't worry, kid," Wolf said gently. "We will find out the truth, and no matter what, we are always on the side of you and Fang.""Thank you," Ren said gratefully.Wolf waved away his gratitude.And thus, the very next day, Ren was flying off to the Dragon Nation to meet the Dragon Queen who was probably his future aunt in law!Pax had made sure to remind that officials in the Dragon Nation that the birthday party was a surprise for Ren being planned by Fang, and that no one was to mention anything about the party to Ren at all. The officials had promised not to say anything, but they had been concerned that the Dragon Queen might. To their surprise, however, when they had mentioned Pax's special request to the Dragon Queen, she had burst out laughing and had been very supportive of the idea!Not for the first time, the high ranking officials of the Dragon Nation had a feeling that their monarch, the Dragon Queen, was treating Chairman Ren and his partner Fang as if they were her own young relatives!Ren had told Fang that there was an important business deal he needed to finalise with the Dragon Queen and this would help them with their business for both Sirocco and Zephyr. Fang would never doubt Ren's words and Ren indeed did have a business plan that he would get the Dragon Queen to approve it's just that the business wasn't so big that it would warrant a personal visit by Ren to the Dragon Nation, nor would it involve the Dragon Queen herself. However, other than Ren and the Dragon Queen, no one else knew that the real reason Ren wanted to meet her was something else.Because, it had become widely known by now that Sirocco was on a warpath with the Valley Kingdom and had suddenly withdrawn all its business from the Valley Kingdom in its entirety, and while this had caused some loss on part of Sirocco, the effect on the Valley Kingdom was much, much worse. And with Sirocco pulling out, many other business houses started to pull out as well because Chairman Ren had the reputation of being a scrupulously clean businessman, and even if it caused a loss, he would pull out from anything that was unethical or shady. And the sudden withdrawal from the Valley Kingdom where most of the businesses were owned by the family of the current empress of the Valley Kingdom raised a lot of questions, and because Ren and Sirocco were known to be uncompromising in terms of business ethics, the conclusion that most people drew was that there must be something wrong with the businesses being run by the family of the current empress of the Valley Kingdom. Besides, a lot of people had been dissatisfied with their attitude in general anyway, and Chairman Ren doing this was simply a confirmation of what they had originally suspected anyway!Thus, Valley Kingdom's entire economy had taken a sudden nose dive, and this had already become an international incident. Naturally, the people of the Dragon Nation were also aware of this development, and so was the Dragon Queen. So, when the request for an urgent meeting from Chairman Ren had come to the Dragon Queen, she had agreed immediately.When Ren landed in the Dragon Nation, he was immediately escorted directly to the imperial palace to an inner meeting room where the Dragon Queen was waiting for him.Ren greeted her politely, and the Dragon Queen, too, welcomed him with a smile. Then she dismissed all the servants and announced that she would be speaking with Ren alone.Ren heaved a sigh of relief. It was clear to him that the Dragon Queen had anticipated their discussion, and he didn't know yet if he was surprised or relieved or dismayed by what this action of hers seemed to indicate.As soon as the last servant left, Ren quietly put up a privacy ward around the room, which would ensure that even if someone was trying to eavesdrop on their conversation, they would be able to hear nothing, and if there were any mechanical bugs or listening devices planted in the room, all they would get would be a statis noise and a pixelated video that would make it impossible to gather any data!The Dragon Queen stared at Ren in shock."Chairman Ren you you are a magician?" she asked incredulously.Ren frowned. The privacy ward he had set up just now was invisible, and unless the person who saw him set it up had magic themselves, they would not be able to feel anything at all.This was outside of Ren's expectations."Your Majesty," Ren said quietly. "Do you possess magic as well?"The Dragon Queen nodded.Ren smiled. "Then I suppose the magic possessed by Fang comes from your side of the family?" he asked.The Dragon Queen nodded again, and then, realising what she had just agreed to, she burst out laughing. "You are a very clever young man, Chairman Ren," she said with a smile. "Now tell me, why exactly are you on a warpath with the Valley Kingdom, and what did they do to make you so angry?""They targeted my Fang," Ren said simply. "And I won't let anyone harm Fang."The Dragon Queen frowned.. "What did those horrible people do now?" she demanded.
