At the Department of Justice of Jadeborough, Xavier stumbled into the main hall in a hurry. “Mr. Sanders, the delegation from Jetroina has arrived. They’re outside right now!” Arthur nodded in acknowledgment. “Let them in!”
Thereafter, Xavier led the delegation into the building In their lead was a middle-aged man with a beard-Kazuo Kawaguchi. He was also the head of the delegation.
Behind him were five men, all wearing sharp suits and leather shoes, except for one. He was dressed as a samurai, complete with a katana by his side and a small ponytail at the back of his head.
The sight of the armed man caused Xavier’s expression to darken. He confronted them at once. “Hand over the sword. No one is allowed to meet Mr. Sanders while armed.”
“The sword represents the spirit of a samurai. Therefore, we’ll give it up only in death,” the samurai replied with a scowl on his face. Furrowing his brows, Xavier reached out to grab the sword.
The moment his hand touched it, he saw the samurai’s wrist tremble minutely. Before he could react, he was struck by a massive force that forced him to backpedal multiple steps..
“Jun, mind your manners,” Kazuo reprimanded the samurai. It was then that Arthur waved his hand. “Let them be.”
As Xavier resigned himself to backing down, Arthur invited Kazuo, “Mr. Kawaguchi, please have a seat.” “Thank you, Mr. Sanders.”
With a nod from Kazuo, everyone took their respective seats. Right before they sat down, Arthur unexpectedly flicked his fingers. Crash!
Just like that, Jun’s chair shattered into pieces and collapsed onto the ground. His expression drastically changed at the sudden turn of events.
“Mr. Kawaguchi, you’ll have to excuse me. The chair must be old and was in need of repair.”
No sooner had Arthur spoken than he gave Xavier a look. “Captain Jennings, bring us another chair.”
Recognizing Arthur’s cue, Xavier played along. “Mr. Sanders, all the chairs have been taken away for an event. I’m afraid we don’t have any extras left.”
“That’s really unfortunate. I guess we have no choice but to let Mr. Watanabe stand,” Arthur replied with an apologetic smile.
His words infuriated Jun, but Kazuo preempted the former’s response. “It’s no problem at all. For a samurai of Jetroina, standing is nothing but a trivial matter.”
Despite Jun’s anger, he had no choice but to stand by the side after what Kazuo had said. “Mr. Kawaguchi, may I know what has brought you here?” Arthur asked despite knowing the answer.
It was protocol for such delegations to announce the objective of their visits in advance. Hence, there was no way Arthur was oblivious to it.
“Mr. Sanders, we’re here on a martial arts exchange to strengthen the bonds of both our countries. We have recently heard of an up-and- coming star within your martial arts world. Despite his youth, he’s extremely powerful. That’s why we’re hoping to challenge him in. order to gain some knowledge.”
Kazuo spoke candidly, for he knew beating around the bush in front of Arthur was futile. “It’s true that there’s a new star in the martial arts world. However, which one of you will be participating in this challenge?”
A curious look descended upon Arthur’s face. Kazuo was briefly stunned before replying, “Obviously, it will be Jun, as he is the only martial artist among us!”
Truth be told, Arthur could tell that the rest were ordinary folk, for he didn’t sense any aura from them.
“Fine. However, this rising star does not work for the authorities. You’ll have to issue your challenge directly to him. As to whether he’ll accept, it’s something beyond my control. It would be out of line for me to use my official authority to pressure him into doing so. I hope you understand, Mr. Kawaguchi,” Arthur explained.
“Your words are enough to put my concerns at ease. Thank you for your time.” With that, Kazuo took his leave.
The real reason he went to see Arthur was to ensure that the authorities didn’t interfere, so as to prevent any unnecessary trouble in the future.
