Indispensable

The instant Song Lusi's feet touched the hard stone of the road, up in the box, the retainer twitched the reins and the Demonbeast horses sprang forward. 

Before Song Lusi could turn his head, he felt a huge gust of wind blowing his robes up his legs. He pulled them back down and turned, catching a glimpse of the carriage as it rushed down the Brightsteel thoroughfare in a noisy blur.

Despite the tremendous speed they were running at, the Demonbeast horses navigated their way around the carriages and other obstacles on the road with ease, quickly disappearing from view.

The Master Steward sighed to himself.

Ever since he heard of the Third Mistress's impending childbirth, he had anticipated the arrival of the new Mo Family representative. He prepared the proper gifts in advance, all with the expectation of befriending them.

Now, the gifts needed to be repurposed.

One never knew when an old friendship might suddenly gain value.

In the blink of an eye, a small family could become a large family. A low-ranked person could accrue merit and be promoted. Even a useless drunkard could become a good father by begetting a phoenix daughter or a dragon son.

This was not to mention that any ambassador who was worthy of being received by the Master Steward of the Song Family was not a useless person. In Song Lusi's mind, they were already sufficiently worthy of building a relationship with.

Whether it was to generate the initial spark for a future marriage alliance, or to arrange a connection with a trading group from Black Mountain City, it paid to have friends in different families.

If Song Lusi could have befriended the new representative, naturally, it would have been best. However one also needed to know when it was wise to advance, and when it was wise to retreat.

He did not allow himself to feel any loss over the opportunity. There were still tasks to handle.

"Master Steward!"

A voice called out, immediately attracting Song Lusi's attention.

It was his servant boy, arriving at the head of his personal carriage. 

The body of his carriage was sleek, and the songbird depicted on the side was harmonious, giving an aesthetic feeling to the design. It was made of expensive materials that would beggar a small family. Even in the Song Family, it would be considered luxurious.

However, it could not compare to the Mo carriage he had just been sitting upon. Just the well-trained team of Demonbeast horses was roughly equivalent in cost.

Song Lusi had anticipated the point where he would separate from the Mo Family representative in advance. The route that the retainers would choose was predictable enough. He had arranged for the servant boy to meet him there and bring his carriage along.

"There is no need to send the gifts for the Mo Estate," Song Lusi said, wanting to make a note before he forgot.

"Where should they be left?"

"Put them in the second warehouse for now."

The servant boy nodded. "I made a list of appointments and catalogued the weekly intake, however, the intake is still short by a few entries. There were some families who sent in gifts this morning."

"Is this all in the cabin?"

"Yes."

"Good, and about the candidates?"

"That list is in the cabin as well."

"And the meetings?"

"They will be arranged by the sixth hour tomorrow."

"Excellent." Song Lusi nodded his approval. The servant boy had learned well. By now, he was capable of taking on the bulk of their shared workload. His hands were touching everything from the most laborious bulk-tasks to those that required subtle intuition and deft maneuvering.

"Boy, you had better watch yourself," he grumbled. "If this continues, I'll have no choice but to give you a raise."

The servant boy nodded calmly from the carriage box, but Song Lusi could see that he was brimming with excitement and only barely concealing himself.

"Master, I apologize. I could not help it. Let me open the door for you."

"No need," Song Lusi said, stopping the servant boy before he could dismount.

"Are you sure, Master?"

"Hmm, I can still do some things for myself," Song Lusi muttered. He swung the cabin door open with particular vigor, and ducked beneath the low roof.

The muted tones of the cabin were familiar, giving him a comfortable feeling. After 'performing' for the representative, he finally felt he could relax.

"Administration hall," he called out.

"Right away, Master!"

Song Lusi closed the door, and sat down on the couch. 

"Now where are those documents?" He glanced around for a moment before chuckling. The neatly folded sheets of parchment were stacked conspicuously in the corner.

Boy, you have managed to make yourself indispensable, he thought to himself.