The Ashen Dominion
Chapter 98 - Rai

Chapter 98: 98 - Rai

Rai got surprised by Kaiser’s offer for him to join the organization he’s making, he didn’t expect it. It literally came out of nowhere.

"..."

He was silent for a moment, unsure what to say.

He turned to Kaiser, and Kaiser... he looked calm and dead serious. His face wasn’t joking at all.

"Why me?"

Rai asked weakly, still processing the invitation.

"Because I trust you."

Kaiser replied casually.

"And I know you’re capable. You’ve helped me a lot since we met. So I want you to be a part of this."

He added.

"..."

Rai blinked.

He wanted to laugh a little at that. Trust, huh. He didn’t think someone would say that to him again in this place of all. But now... someone actually did.

Then finally, after a while—

"Alright..."

Rai nodded his head, smiling.

"I’ll join."

He hesitated a bit, yes. But at the end of the day, he realized—he wouldn’t lose anything. In fact, if things go well... He’ll gain something valuable out of this.

Maybe not power or status, but something else. He wasn’t sure what it was yet—but something.

"Nice, that makes us four."

Kaiser mumbled to himself.

"Now that you’re in, I need to ask you a small favor..."

Then after that, he leaned in a bit closer to Rai and whispered something. Something only the two of them could hear.

Rai listened carefully.

And after hearing the favor Kaiser was asking for—

"Got it."

Rai nodded again, then stood up properly.

"See you tomorrow."

Kaiser said, his usual calm tone back again.

"Same time tomorrow."

Rai gave him a short wave and started walking away.

And just like that, the two of them separated.

...

...

Kaiser returned to his room after that.

He immediately laid down on his bed with a sigh, but only for a short moment.

His eyes narrowed.

"...I still have to train."

He sat up and crossed his legs into a lotus position.

His body was sore. His arms ached from earlier. But even then—he forced himself to focus.

He closed his eyes.

And with that, he started training [Intimidation] again.

He continued training that skill for a couple of hours, silently. Then, finally... he opened his eyes, and with a tired sigh—he laid back down on his bed.

"Fuuuuuuuuh..."

He closed his eyes.

And soon, sleep took over.

"..."

*****

The next day...

"Ugh... haaaaa...."

Rai woke up early, just as usual.

His room was cramped, the walls dull gray and cracked in some places. The place stank a little, like boiled cabbage and sweat. The Servant Area... it was nothing grand. Just a jail dressed in thinner shackles.

But Rai didn’t complain.

"Let’s clean up."

He quietly tidied up his thin blanket and adjusted the frame of his creaky bed. His body ached a bit from yesterday’s work, but nothing too serious.

He got dressed, then he opened his door and stepped outside.

Rai saw the others moving too—men and women like him, faces hollow, movements dull. All of them wore the same uniform for servants. Silent and robotic. Most of them just nodded when they saw each other, some didn’t even do that.

Rai was one of them.

"..."

Then instead of eating breakfast this early in the morning, Rai left the [Servant Area] headed directly to the [Kitchen Area].

Tap- tap- tap—

...

...

Rai got there not long.

SWOOSH~

The air inside was thick—both from steam and the stench of sweat and boiling meat.

Tap- tap- tap—

Tap- tap- tap—

Tap- tap- tap—

About twenty servants were already there, working. They were all over the place.

Rai walked in and silently joined them.

They had their tasks. Some chopped vegetables, some stirred huge iron pots. Others cleaned. Rai washed his hands with the brownish water in a corner barrel, then got to work—his station was handling soup today.

’Let’s get to work.’

He grabbed the massive wooden ladle and started stirring.

No one said much. Just small things here and there.

"Salt."

"Here."

"More onions."

"..."

That was it. That’s the only conversations being held in the room that they were all in.

...

Time passed slowly.

Fwish~

Steam rose everywhere, fogging up the wooden windows and making the air sticky.

The servants’ arms moved mechanically, practiced and tired. The room echoed with only the sounds of ladles, boiling broth, and footsteps.

An hour passed. Then two.

Then finally... All the food was ready.

Pots were sealed, trays stacked, and the servants slumped against the walls, breathing heavily.

"No time to rest, get moving!"

"Yes, sir!"

But rest wasn’t allowed just yet.

Now, they had to deliver them all.

"Finally, I can meet them..."

Rai thought as he wiped some sweat from his forehead.

He approached one of the trolleys and grabbed a set of iron pots filled with soups. He placed them gently on the rack, then called out to the two others beside him.

And with that—

"Let’s go."

"Mhm."

"..."

The three of them moved together, pushing the loaded trolley slowly toward one of the Copper Places.

...

...

...

After a few minutes, Rai and the other two servants got to their destination—

They walked through a stone corridor, their boots tapping against the floor.

"Hmm?"

The guards didn’t pay much attention to them—just waved lazily and opened the gate for them.

CREAK—

The gate creaked open.

"Oi! Lunch!"

The guard shouted after letting Rai and the two in.

Then inside... the sound of footsteps began.

"Ugh... Finally..."

"I’m hungry."

"Haaaaa... I hope I get more meat."

One by one, gladiators started coming out of their rooms. Some of them were still half-asleep, rubbing their eyes, some shirtless and yawning.

It was early—only around 7 AM.

"..."

Rai stood straight and watched them.

But then—his eyes locked onto four specific people.

Damian.

Rose.

Jhamillah.

Jenna.

He’d seen them around before, a few times. But they never really talked that much. The only connection he have to them is that all of them know Kaiser.

Anyway, moving on...

"I’m still sleepy, not going to lie."

"Same, but I need to train more."

"Me too."

"Ugh... I just want to eat now."

The four lined up near each other and slowly made their way toward him.

Then, in just a few moments—

"Morning."

"Hey, Rai."

"Yo."

They greeted Rai as they got close to him.

Rai smiled back... but didn’t return the greeting. Instead, opening his mouth—

"I have a message from Kaiser."

He declared that. His voice was soft, and the moment those words left his lips—

"Huh?"

"Hm?"

"...?"

The four froze.

Their eyes widened. Curiosity, excitement, and a bit of confusion flickered across their faces. But none of them reacted loudly—they leaned in instead too.

"What is it?"

Rose asked, whispering.

"Tell us."

Jenna added.

Rai looked left, then right. No one was paying close attention. He leaned forward slightly as he scooped soup for Damian.

And secretly—

"Kaiser is building an organization. And he’s inviting you all."

Rai calmly whispered that just for them to hear.

"...?"

Damian looked puzzled.

"What’s an organization?"

Jhamillah asked.

Rai already expected their reactions to be like that. So he spoke again, carefully.

"An organization is like a group—one that supports each other, trains together, fights together... grows stronger together. If you know what a bandit gang is, it’s pretty similar to that."

The four looked at him, listening intently.

"Kaiser wants people he trusts."

"He asked me to invite you four. And if possible... find other talented Copper Rankers. People worth recruiting."

Rai continued.

"I see..."

Rose nodded slowly, understanding flickering in her eyes. She got it.

Rai kept going, focusing more on her now. He can see Damian looking lost since earlier, and the others having a bit of trouble. Rai knows Rose will explain the rest to the others later herself.

"Also... Kaiser said that he’s waiting for you four. Him and Viktor."

There was a short silence.

Then—Rai finally asked.

"So, will you join?"

He warned them briefly, telling them they wouldn’t gain much from Kaiser’s organization right now. No big rewards. No easy days. Kaiser asked him to tell them that before the four of them could give an answer.

But even after hearing that—

"I’ll join!"

Damian declared first. No hesitation.

"Count me in."

Rose smiled and followed.

"Sounds fun. I’m in."

Then Jenna.

"Of course I’ll join."

Jhamillah added last, smirking.

"Haha..."

Rai’s smile widened. He nodded, scooped more soup into their bowls, and said—

"I’ll pass your answers to Kaiser."

And just like that, the four of them took their food and walked away—still smiling.

Rai watched them for a moment.

Then he looked down at his hands. They were still trembling slightly from fatigue. But his heart felt light.

"I did well on my first objective as a member of the organization."

He muttered with a smile.

Rai was glad that everything went well.

Anyway... Rai and the other two servants left soon to head to different Copper Places. They did this until the pots and container they have on their strollers are empty.

And after doing that—that’s just when Rai and the others can have and eat their breakfast.