Merchant & General [Trently|Tenma]

A scent of the sea permeated the portside city, where the sun radiated hot today. It was a fair journey here to the port side city, built on fishing. Now however ships were leaving the city recovering from the civil war, rebuilding fairly well it seemed. It were ships for travel to series of great islands east of the Kou Empire's borders. Here today, Trently would arrive with five hundred men, all his guild members. They were his company and friends. It was made up of almost all the same men who he led a counter crusade with against Sasan. Trently's men had begun acquiring more experience, and it made him glad. His men were more organized, and were paid well since Furcas was a success. It helped Trently's guild continue making profit here in Kou as well. It helped Trently lead a good hearted group of men, whom earned good huang.

Today was a good day, for Trently and his men would set out on a great adventure once more in hopes of establishing trade and commerce between Trently's guild and Kina. It served as a great opportunity for Trently and his men. Not only opportunity, but a great adventure. Trently would be excited in seeing Kina, a land where his grandfather and grandmother had come from years ago to settle in Kou and have a child named Kasai Yanaihara. Trently's warm smile was bright. It would be a nice country Trently hoped, if not in a state of clan war, as Trently heard from his dear grandmother only weeks ago when he visited her and his family in almost four years.

-

Trently had questioned his grandmother who came from Kina long ago on the country. After receiving news while staying with his family for a little bit that the country of Kina was inviting foreign nationals into its country, he decided to chat with his grandmother about it. She however forewarned young Trently of its long standing political strife. His grandma, Ayame, was surprised at Kina's sudden invitation of foreigners into Kina. Perhaps it had changed since she left so many years ago? Ayame was unsure if it did, it likely had not in her eyes. She knew young Trently had grown up quite a lot, but she was nervous for him in his coming adventure. Trently would be informed best he could of Kina by his grandma. He was somewhat familiar with Kinan culture but the young man had not ever interacted with the country itself. Ayame would see the desire on his face to see Kina with his very own eyes and establish trade with Kina, as he had now become a fairly well known trader. Ayame sighed. However, she would have faith in Trently.

Grandma Ayame: "Giving birth to a baby is easier than worrying about it..."

Mused the elderly Ayame, sipping her tea. "Giving birth to a baby is easier than worrying about it" was a common saying in Kina, which was understood as fear is worse than the danger or that an attempt is sometimes easier than expected. Ayame would have confidence in Trently and what drove him to be who he is now. Her husband was the man who raised him after all. His name was Chien in Kou, but Trently's grandpa was really known as Tatsuo Yanaihara in Kina. He had left long ago with Ayame due to the warring in Kina when he was younger. Tatsuo did not want to raise a family in Kina in the state it was. Not that Kou was much better but it was something, until war befell it as well. Trently would prepare his adventure for Kina, before his grandma would ask of him a request. It was in regards to the Yanaihara clan of Kina country.

Grandma Ayame: "Trently, I have you a request. Please see our clan in Kina, for your grandpa up until his passing had immense regrets for leaving his clan during war and strife. It is something I myself have come to regret as well. So please take care, Trently, and remember, your grandpa's name was Tatsuo.. Tatsuo of the Yanaihara clan. For him and me, please bring let them know we are deeply sorry. Chien, Tatsuo, was a great and admirable samurai of the Yanaihara clan, up until him and mine's departure decades ago."

Trently: "You have nothing to worry about! I will have them forgive you and grandpa, no matter what!"

Grandma Ayame: "Ah, thank you Trently, but if they don't, just know it is okay."

Roared with a golden heart the young man, smiling bright. He would ensure that the Yanaihara clan forgave his grandpa and grandma, no matter what. Trently with his bag packed and his great katanas by his waist, he would grasp ahold of his family's household's sliding door and open it with a "chaak" sound filling the room. Trently's kind family bidding him farewell and a good journey, he would set out for a portside city nearby with his guild and gear up for a brand new tale to be written in his story. His excited and bright face would sprint into the new dawn.

Trently: "Later, grandma, mom, and everyone! I will be back!"

-

Weeks later..

Miracle, comprising of a five hundred man unit, Trently, and Guaiwu, a sea journey would start to begin. However, first Trently would have to load his merchant ships he purchased with rations and supplies for the voyage to Kina. An ocean scent filled his nose and the noses of everyone else who was preparing to set sail for Kina for the famed Kambutsu festival. Helping his men load the merchant ships, Trently would sweat beads before deciding on calling his men around for a small break and lunch. This year's summer was hot and scorching, especially for a relatively southern city in Kou, so Trently and his men would go slow and easy. A light brown hue coming onto his skin, Trently was growing tan again after having been largely indoors in his guild hall for the few past months.

A bag of meat buns in his hands, Trently would grab one from inside the bag and chow down on it. He would sit on the docks of the bustling port side city, relaxing with some of his men and drinking water out of flasks. Trently would see other ships board with people sailing to Kina to partake in its Kambutsu festival as he ate and hydrated himself. He was excited for the festival and to try and establish trade. Trently would exclaim "This festival seems it will be fun! I hope it has good food, keheheh!". He would smile and laugh before chowing down another meat bun in delight as he heard his men talk amongst one another. It was quite a nice day out on the docks.

“Why the sulky face? The day has just started!”

The one eyed man who was staring at his cup of tea being held in his hand almost flinched due to the loud voice. “Oh it’s you, Sir Hei Lu.”

“Kokoko, indeed it is I, Hei Lu. Did I surprise you?” The older man laughed as he gave a friendly pat on Tenma’s shoulder before joining him on the table. “So why the sulky face? Someone dumped you?” Hei Lu laughed again as the swordsman poured tea for him, thinking that being dumped would be better than what he was feeling at the moment. “It was nothing, I was just worried about a friend, she left Kou to go back to Magnostadt. I am just hoping that she will be fine.”

“She will be fine, stop being a worrywart.” Another older man joined the morning tea party, he would sigh heavily before taking a seat beside Hei Lu. “How many times did I and the Emperor tell you? She can protect herself, she is a strong magician and a Djinn user.” Tenma could only let out a sigh before pouring tea into another cup so Dong Zhu can enjoy it. “I never thought you would be this desperate about a girl, Tenma? And yet you are so fearsome in a battlefield. Just go marry her already and keep her close with you.” Hei Lu laughed again, liking how he could have the chance to tease the young general although Dong Zhu could only shake his head, implying that Hei Lu was totally wrong. Both Yoshiro and Dong Zhu had asked if she was his lover before, but Tenma denied it. The one eyed man refused to tell them more and only mentioned that she was the most important person for him.

“Ahem, well…” Dong Zhu would take a letter from his pocket and hand it to Tenma, “I would prefer you to find something to do rather than being a foolish worrywart. It is time for you to do diplomatic work.” He would wait for Tenma to open the letter and waited until he read all the content. “Kina, eh…?” The one eyed man folded the letter before slipping it into the pocket behind his blazer. “He could have said that he is too lazy to visit his maternal grandfather and he decided to throw the work to me so I can be on good terms with his grandfather’s clan.”

Dong Zhu would shoot a dead glare towards Tenma and Hei Lu would try to calm him down, making sure he didn't leave his seat or he might give Tenma a hard slap on his back. “You know I am just kidding, General~” The swordsman beamed a bright smile towards the older general and chuckled as he found amusement from the way Dong Zhur reacted. “Well, it is surprising that they are giving invitations to foreigners…they must be up to something. However, it will be fun for me to visit my grandfather’s hometown too.”

“Oh really? Do you know which clan he belonged to back then?” Dong Zhu would ask after he sipped his tea. “Of course, but I think he passed away a long time ago? I’m not sure.” The one eyed man would then stand up from his seat, “I guess I will prepare myself for now, good day for now gentlemen.”  

“Be careful there Tenma, one wrong move and the whole clan will slaughter you.” Dong Zhu said with a serious tone, wondering what Yoshiro had in his mind to send Tenma to his grandfather… “Bring some soldiers with you, just in case.”

With a smile and a nod, Tenma waved to the older men and left the morning tea party. He wondered though, if he should bring some soldiers with him. He didn't think it would be necessary but it wouldn't hurt to bring 1 or 2… if Noir was here with him, he would definitely bring her, but alas, she had more important business at Magnostadt. Also, Chun Ming was taking a day off today, it would be difficult to bring him along, not to mention he would definitely nag all the time… so he might better look for other candidates. The swordsman went to the training grounds and watched every soldier who was training themselves with each other. His eyes would scan each soldier, before stopping at a certain one. “Rui Li.” Tenma called the name of the soldiers and the other was surprised to see the swordsman present in the training ground, wondering why he would look for Rui Li. They would want to pay respect to Tenma but the swordsman stopped them before telling them to go back to training.

“Great General!” A girl with silver hair would come running towards Tenma, “Can I help you? What brings you here?”

Rui Li:

“Didn't I tell you to stop calling me Great General, Rui Li?” Tenma asked with a smile although he emitted a dark aura, making the girl quickly apologize for forgetting. “Please prepare yourself, we will be going somewhere for several days. I will be waiting at the port side city in 2 hours, well then see you later.”

As her general left, Rui Li can only stare at Tenma’s back as he walked away, it was so sudden and she snapped herself before quickly running to her barrack to prepare herself. Tenma didn't really need a long time to prepare himself, he already knew what he had to bring, but this time, he had 2 additional items in his belongings, the left dragon ring and this magical book from Noir. “Time to go…” Tenma whispered to himself before heading to the port.

---

The port was busy as usual, but Tenma thought they would be busier these days because of the festival held in Kina. It might be easy to find one of the ships willing to give them a free ride to the neighboring country, but just in case, he would need Rui Li to address him with something else. He didn't want people to know that he was Kou’s general… That girl would definitely call him with that title the moment she spotted him, so he would need to find her first. It took him less than a minute to spot the girl and he would be walking quickly towards her, as she wanted to call him by his title. Tenma would put a finger in front of his lips, commanding the girl to stay quiet. As he was close enough to her, the swordsman would say, “Don't call me Great General or General here. Just call me Tenma, got it? It’s an order.”

“I can't do that, it’s impolite. Hmm… what about ‘Master’?”

“...Master is a little bit…” Tenma paused for a bit, this girl was unbelievable, but at least she wouldn't be handful like Chun Ming. “Call me brother, can you do that?” The girl would think about that for a little bit before nodding, “Good girl.” Tenma praised the girl as he patted her hair carefully.

As they went to look for ships that would be willing to let them hop on,  Tenma spotted a ship nearby… most likely a merchant ship. “Excuse me, are you perhaps going to Kina?” He would ask one of the crew who was happily eating his meat bun. “Would it be possible if both of us come along with you? We will help with some work on the ship too if you want.”

WC: 1250

Sea winds would lightly blow on the hot day, very lightly tugging on Trently's blue hair. He would be biting again into his meat bun, when from the corner of his eye another blue haired man would ask a question to young Trently. With his mouth full, Trently listened on to the man who had an eyepatch. It appeared he was looking for a boat ride for Kina. From his appearance he seemed perhaps a man of Kinan descent, with pieces of Kinan armor on him. Trently was curious if he was looking to see the land of Kina again or see where his ancestors came from. It was only but a curious idea of the man Trently would glance at more no more than five seconds before setting down his meat bun for a moment on his lap. Trently pondered for a moment if he would allow the man aboard his vessels, but with an hour or so more to spare, it couldn't hurt to strike up a chat with the man.

Trently pointed at the man's attire, and his sode spaulder more specifically and would ask him if he was perhaps a man of Kinan descent, before taking another bite of his meat bun. "Are you of Kinan ancestry? I can maybe let you aboard my vessel but why don't we have a chat first? Let me get to know you a bit." Trently said as he would gesture the man to take a seat beside him. He smiled, wondering who this interesting man was and if he bore Kinan ancestry. Trently was very intrigued in why the man was looking to travel to Kina.

Guaiwu: "I wonder what this country, Kina, will be like."

Said the burly and muscle bound Guaiwu as he rose to his feet after finishing his share of meat buns filled with pork. He would walk to assist the other men with loading the merchant vessels. Trently himself would continue eating, sipping water from his flask every now and then as he would allow the blue haired man to introduce himself a bit. Trently would quickly notice his female friend as well who was with him. Anyhow, both people seemed interesting, but who were they?

“I am!” Tenma beamed Trently with a bright smile, “My name is Tenma from the Mikazuki family and this girl beside me is Rui Li, my distant cousin. It is a pleasure to be acquainted with you.” As the younger man motioned his hand to invite the swordsman to take a seat beside him, Tenma would gladly sit down as well before gesturing his hand to the girl to take a seat beside him as well. It seemed that his plea to board the ship of this young merchant wouldn’t be as easy as he thought, but oh well, a little chat wouldn’t hurt, right?

“Unfortunately I dont know much about the current Kina, it has been a long time since I last visited the country, perhaps around 14 years ago.” The swordsman laughed while scratching his head, “My family has been staying in Kou ever since I was born too, so I don't have a lot of chance to go back and forth to the neighboring country. But I am really excited that I finally have the chance to see my parent’s homeland. I only remembered that the scenery were pretty with all of those cherry blossom tree blooming in every roads of Kina.” Well, the swordsman had no problem crafting a story like that, he couldn’t risk telling other people about his original story because of personal reasons. But not all of the words coming from his mouth were a lie though, some of it were true, but which part was true and not true, the swordsman wouldn’t tell. “How about you? From your clothing, it seems that you are from Kinan ancestry as well?”