Chapter 50 Playing House.. The Henderson House!

"Activate Fate Seeing Eye!"

That's when the world changed before his eyes!

Before, there had just been some silly foxes, but afterward, they became silly glowing foxes! Somehow, they all had auras that ranged from bronze to silver.

Was this considered good or bad? Either way, they seemed to be thriving! But that wasn't all. Every time he'd assign them XP, their glow would increase!

"Kid, I heard that the Fate Worshipers see the world in three colors: bronze, silver, and gold. Is it true?" The Ghost curiously asked.

"I only see bronze and silver…."

"Makes sense. Gold should be reserved for special events or people. I heard that the deeper your mastery, the more you can see too."

"Oh? So I'd see more colors eventually?"

"Nope, but the gold you could see with your current mastery could appear bronze to another more skilled individual. Meanwhile, some items may be hidden from you."

So that's how it worked? How interesting! Jack didn't wait for a second as he toured his room, trying his best to find anything of value. Nope, nope, nope, not this one either!

Wait… what if?! Without waiting, he rushed toward the Statue that hid the FireFox God's lair! The thing didn't glow one bit! Was he too low-level, or was it too deep underground?

"So, how do I use this power practically?"

"Beats me…" The Old Ghost shrugged. Fate was an elusive concept. How would he even know? This concerned an entire faction's secrets, after all! "But, I have a suggestion…."

A suggestion? Jack was all ears!

"Remember, it's a vision ability. You just need to find someone with a similar vision ability and copy whatever they did to train! It will definitely probably, perhaps, help!"

Luckily, it just happened that Jack knew one such individual.

"Thanks for the tip, Old Ghost. I know what to do!"

It was time for another outing! Except, this time, there was no need to sneak out. He would go on official business! "You all, bring me to the Flame Lord!" Jack declared.

In no time, he stood before the meditating flame Lord… still as naked as before. Then he used his secret weapon, baby speech: "Ma-ma!"

Instantly, her entire body shuddered as she opened her eyes in shock. Jack?! How the heck had he entered her training room?! Was that a heat shield around him?!

"Jack… how did you do this?!"

"Sha-Sha, play!"

He expertly dodged the question, asking for what truly mattered here. After all, so much rested on this "play date". Seeing his begging gaze, The Flame Lord turned apologetic.

"Ah, that's true! You must be tired, always cooped up in here. Fine, you can play with the Aisha girl. Foxes, escort him to the Henderson's Estate!"

Really?! The foxes danced with joy!

Sure,  sneaking out was fun, but so was sauntering proudly in the streets. More importantly, they'd be able to parade with their super duper amazing Master!

Their tails were already wagging in expectation, not a single one wanting to remain behind! Thus soon began the first Fiery Fox exodus ever.

Each of their steps made the hearts of whoever saw them skip a beat. What the heck was this… a beast wave?! But as they recognized the foxes, their hearts skipped two more beats!

"H-how many Fiery Foxes is that?!"

"This time, they're marching to war, for sure!"

"Wait… maybe they're gonna apprehend the culprit who destroyed Fortuna Mountain?"

"W-What if they're the ones that destroyed it as a diversion?! Maybe they're taking over the City?! Look, they even shaved their fur: it's warrior marks!" Many shivered.

Jack couldn't help but scoff. Did they think this was an "Everything Changed when the Fire…Foxes Attacked" moment?! Nope, he was just visiting his subordinate…

But as they reached the Henderson's Estate, Jack rubbed his eyes, shell-shocked. How?! They had already repaired pretty much everything! #Magical Capitalism? Impressive!

Soon at the lavish gates...

"WOO!" (We came to play!)

The woo was so powerful that it terrified everyone in the surroundings, the Estate guards turning white. What did the beasts want this time? Was this a takeover?!

The Patriarch once again came running.

"Welcome, welcome! What can—"

But before he could even finish, the fiery foxes were already invading his courtyard! They rushed through the open gates as if a godly swarm of locusts.

"Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo!"

It felt like a fluffy Apocalypse was upon them! But just when they thought it was officially the end of their faction, they all stopped before a certain girl's bedroom.

— Knock! Knock! Knock! —

A sleepy Aisha opened the door only to freeze. What the heck was this so early in the morning?! "Hehe, morning, sleepyhead. Ready to take over the world?" Jack laughed.

"S-sure…?"

That's when the Patriarch finally caught up, out of breath. "Aisha, he came to see you? Good, no great! Make sure you entertain him, alright? How about you two play house?"

The Patriarch couldn't have been more supportive. Little did he know that playing house was precisely what Jack had planned… playing the Henderson House!

"Foxes, spread out. Aisha, full report!"

"A-alright…"

Jack sat on a fluffy bed amidst a sea of stuffed animals, somehow towering over her like a king. As she explained the situation here, he'd sometimes nod and even grunt.

"So you're telling me the Henderson Estate is about to send tons of invitations to the Flaming Masquerade? Cancel 2/3 of them! I want this event to be exclusive AF!"

"Wouldn't that offend whoever didn't receive one?" She asked, perplexed. Not unnecessarily making enemies was a core concept of being a merchant!

"I don't care! Even Dawn Lords should have trouble getting their hands on an extra invitation; that's how rare I'm talking about. You gotta regulate supply!"

"Regulate supply…?"

"You want them cherishing those invites more than their first-born son! This isn't just a social event, but a chance at increasing their Factions' Power! Understand?"

The more he explained, the wider her mouth grew. He wanted to use the Masquerade to Influence all the Powers in Dawn City?! This was madness!

Yet, he seemingly had thought of everything already, from how the invites should be to how the actual event should go, with countless ways to profit from it!

It was so much scheming that she felt her brain was about to turn to mush, trying to comprehend a fraction of it. Jack was a freaking monster!

— Clang! —

That's when the bedroom door opened, the Henderson Patriarch showing up… carrying apple slices and cheese? Was he that bored as to act as a maid now?!

"Hey, kids, are you having fun? Who wants a snack?" It was his way of checking out how everything was going. As he surveyed the room, he almost had a stroke.

The baby was on the bed alone while Aisha stared blankly at the empty air. Was this how she entertained the little guy?! He was about to scold her, but then she noticed him.

Jack was already giving her a meaningful look. 'Do it!'

"D-dad, about the Flame Masquerade…." She repeated the words she had just heard to the best of her ability. Mere seconds into her speech, the trey of snacks came crashing down!

"T-this… this… this…"

The Patriarch was already in shock. With this, their Henderson family would soar to Heaven! "Daughter, you're AMAZING! You can count on me. I'll do everything you said!"

He rushed out, his eyes gleaming with madness. Yet he had barely left that a profound sigh resounded in the room. "You got about 30% of it right… were you even listening?"

If that 30% was enough to make her father mad… how would he react were he to hear everything?! At this moment, she wasn't sure whether to feel awe or terror.

"Whatever, it's fine. Next thing on the Agenda: where's that big guy that kidnapped me last time? It's time for some payback…." He chuckled evilly.

Oh god…