The journey from Gaipan to the next settlement took two full days.
The White Lotus Company advanced escorted by a discreet caravan: carts, protected canvases, boxes marked with the new emblem—a stylized white petal on a dark circle—and a varied group of female figures whose mere presence drew gazes.
And at its center, Ren.
The morning they approached the next town, the air was still, too still.
Suri walked at the front with a firm posture; Keiko checked the cart's tensioners; Mai and Ty Lee remained mounted on a borrowed buffalo, while Azula—always elegant—advanced on foot beside Ren, accompanying her stride with a natural air of royalty.
Suki stayed close, saying nothing, but watchful.
Ren, with his hood on, sensed something strange.
Too much silence.
Too many shadows moving at the edge of the houses.
As if the villagers were watching them… and waiting.
Ren felt the particular tingle:
a rumor had arrived before him.
Another door was opening on its own.
When they crossed the town's entrance, a silent crowd had gathered.
Men, women, a few elders, children half-hidden behind their mothers' skirts.
Suspended gazes, held breaths.
And then someone spoke:
—"Are you… you?"
—"The… the White Lotus Warrior…"
—"The one who saved Gaipan…"
—"The one who purifies with white fire…"
Azula raised an eyebrow with venomous satisfaction.
Suki swallowed.
Keiko smiled to the side.
Mai sighed as if it were annoying but inevitable.
Ty Lee waved her fingers at the children, delighted.
Ren took a step forward.
The village tensed.
He raised both hands in a simple, carefully calculated gesture.
And he spoke, with that tempered, firm, magnetic voice:
—"I didn't come for you to worship me.
I came to see what you need."
A murmur ran through the crowd like a soft wave.
The mayor, a man with a long beard and clothes too big for his stature, approached with visible nerves.
—"Sir… the rumors said… that you rebuilt an entire village in days…"
—"Rumors exaggerate," Ren smiled subtly, letting his false humility mix with an aura of unquestionable power. "But we do what we can."
The mayor swallowed.
—"Then… then help us.
Please."
Ren bowed his head slightly.
—"Show me what happened."
And that's where it all began.
The village, called Shimori, had suffered a series of night attacks.
Creatures that stole animals.
Bandits who demanded "protection."
Peasants without tools or stability.
As they walked through the streets, Ren watched with a deep gaze, analyzing every crack, every expression, every structural need.
The dust of the road rose under his steps; the faint sun filtered through wooden roofs; the houses were built to last, but neglected.
The smell of dampness and earth dominated the air.
Azula pressed her lips, uncomfortable with the peasant atmosphere.
Suki walked with a steady air, recognizing structural problems at every step.
Keiko took notes, Ty Lee greeted anyone who saw her, and Mai just watched.
Everything was perfect.
Everything was on track.
Ren knew that population was already predisposed:
the rumor had turned him into a symbol even before he arrived.
Now he just had to confirm the myth.
When they reached the center of the village, Ren asked for all who wanted to speak to gather.
By dusk, dozens of people had gathered around the square.
Lit candles illuminated their tense faces.
Ren placed himself at the front.
The girls behind him, like an exotic and dangerous personal guard.
The murmuring subsided.
Ren spoke.
His voice wasn't loud… but everyone listened.
—"I have heard your problems. And I understand them.
But you must understand something:"
He paused.
The wind stopped.
The torches flickered.
—"No one will come to save you… if you are not willing to save yourselves."
A collective sigh.
An emotional blow.
A truth wrapped in manipulation.
Ren walked among them, his hand brushing shoulders, arms, giving a sense of paternal closeness.
—"We can help.
We can bring tools, protection, trade, connections.
We can train those who wish to learn.
But the White Lotus Company is not charity."
Azula smiled slightly, cruel humor.
Suki lowered her gaze, knowing exactly where that speech was heading.
Ren stopped in the center.
—"We are an alliance. A family.
Those who join will prosper.
Those who work with us… will grow.
Those who cling to fear… will be left behind."
A heavy silence.
And then a woman raised her hand.
—"What must we do… Lord of the White Lotus?"
The mayor tilted his head, defeated.
The children watched Ren as if he were a hero from a fairy tale.
Just what he wanted.
Ren smiled slowly.
—"I only need one thing to start."
The whole village looked at him, holding its breath.
—"Trust."
And there, in those seconds suspended between the torchlight and the expectant eyes,
another village fell into the web.
That night, while the people invited the White Lotus members to dinner and shared stories, Ren stepped away for a moment to watch the horizon from the hill.
The rumors had already done half the work.
He would do the rest.
Suki approached slowly, holding a lamp.
—"You have them… completely captivated," she whispered.
Ren didn't look at her.
—"Villages need something to believe in," he replied. "And I… give them a purpose."
Suki felt a shiver.
Not from fear.
From recognition.
Because she was beginning to understand that Ren wasn't a savior…
He was a strategist using hope as a weapon.
And yet, she couldn't pull away.
—"What's next?" she asked in a low voice.
Ren finally turned his head toward her.
His eyes glowed with a calculated fire.
—"Tomorrow we start building.
And in three days…"
He smiled.
—"Shimori will be ours too."