Now, Leon was looking to the young man in front of him and asked;
"I heard you've rejected all other offers you only want to became a butler of a magus. Why do you want a body tempering technique?"
"Sir I want live longer, longer it is, better." answered Josh without breaking his strict face.
"You could became a soldier and if you happen to contribute, you would have it."
In Empire, if someone became a guard of nobles, they would have chance to cultivate body tempering, or if they were to have an outstanding aptitude, they could go to the Imperial Academy and became a magus.
"I didn't want some low class body tempering. I can only attain long life with high class body tempering."
Leon nodded, it was true that low class body tempering only make someone live longer than mortals but true long life lies within high class technique and besides that expense of cultivating such technique comes with high grade materials which a normal person couldn't pay. After hearing that he wanted a high class technique, Leon started the interview.
Josh was son of the business partner of the auction manager, that was how they knew each other. He went to the butler academy and he knew the formalities between nobles. He knew all things he needed to know as a butler. He also learned how to do business which he learned when he was aiding to his father.
After the brief interview, Leon asked the crucial question;
"You know, you had to sign a soul contract with me, not just you but your offspring also had to serve my household from now on."
Josh nodded, he knew to gain access to a high grade body tempering technique he needed to sign a soul contract. It was the law in Empire. Even the Union in the east which was composed from sects and academies, the students needed to sign a soul contract upon entering the sect or academy. In the world only in the south the shamans using master-disciple relationship could be considered as lax but they were specialize in soul cultivation.
"For now you can be a temporary employee, after a time pass we would sign a permanent contract."
"Understood sir."
Leon tapped to the table with his finger slowly three times with frown on his face then he looked at Josh
"While we are in the capital, I want you to look around for young people who want to become soldiers. For starters let's say a thousand people and look for construction companies which could shoulder a city construction."
"Understood sir."
"Here take it." Saying Leon gave him a purse of gold coins and continued
"We will meet again tomorrow in the auction." Saying that Leon left the auction house. It was evening and there was a lot of people walking in the city. Slowly looking around, Leon thought it would be good to make a tour around the city.
Walking on the streets he tried street food that the vendors were selling and he tried to relax his mental state. For two years there was only ghost accompanying him if he were to be a real ghost, it wouldn't bother him to much but he was originally human and it took toll on his mental state. Rather than ghosts, it was loneliness was the real culprit. The humans are social animals with their complex instincts which they called emotions. Leon thinks this way, for him the emotions were instincts and instincts are base of any living organism. Thus when he was looking through the mana cultivation techniques in the library of Blackwood Academy, he always looked down the one with cutting emotions to speed up the cultivation. If you had cut emotions what you would be, nothing but a complex machine.
Leon smiled and shook his head to clear from stray thoughts. When he looked around, he noticed he got lost. The area he was in right now, different from the inner city. There was a moist stench in the air, the roads were not paved like in the inner city. Leon noticed that he was in the slum of the capital. There were children with filth on their faces looking at Leon with curiously and vigilance from the corner of a house. Leon was really a misfit in the area.
He didn't know road back to the inner city, just as he was going to ask the kids for the road back, he sensed a group of people walking towards him from his back. The children were frighten and immediately run away. Looking at the children's back, Leon thought that they might be the ruffians of the slums. They were five men and had old tattered clothes, one was walking on the front the other four were behind him. The one on the front was more bulkier then the rest ["The one on the front should be the head"] Thought Leon. The bulky man smiled showing his rows of yellowed teeth.
"This brother, you look like you are lost."
["Don't judge book by it cover"]
"Yeah I'm lost, do you know the road to back inner city."
The men laughed and "Brother there is no free in the slums, do you understand what I am saying?" saying that he made a money gesture with his fingers. Seeing that Leon took a gold coin from his pouch and threw to the man. The man caught it, seeing it was a gold coin, greed showed in his eyes but he quickly hid it. But the change didn't escape from Leon's eyes.
["But sometimes you have to"]
"Come follow me brother, I'll lead you."
With his half-titan body, Leon didn't need to afraid these mortals so, he played along with them and followed them. After turning and going circles for fifteen minutes, they came to a dead end. The men laughed and the leader spoke.
"Give all your money or your life pretty boy."
"You can't take my life, you could just let me leave the slums and could earn money." Talked Leon in a placid voice. Hearing him talk like that, the ruffians didn't think much more of it. They simply cast aside as he was trying to show strong front.
"Hehe, you're giving your life then." Saying that one of them even attacked him with a knife. Seeing the man was assaulting, Leon didn't take any stances, he just waited for the man to get close, then he simply caught his wrist and crushed it.
"Aaaaah" the man screamed like a pig in slaughterhouse. Seeing the man got hurt, the leader didn't lose him composure, instead;
"Ronald, send this kid to underworld."
Leon didn't understand anything at all, he looked at the screaming man in front of him but it didn't look like he was going to make any move. Suddenly he felt an impact from his kidney area. He turned and looked, he saw a teenager with a dagger trying to pierce him. It shocked Leon how he couldn't sensed him.
"What are you doing, kill him already." the impatient voice of the leader came. Leon threw aside the man in front of him with jerk of his arm. The man crushed the wall and fainted. Leon quickly caught the teenager behind him from his shoulder and looked him.
["He might have an innate talent for sneaking"] thought Leon.
"Hey you should work for me instead of working for these thugs."