After finishing his bath, the maids helped Is change into a fresh set of clothes.
When he arrived in the main hall, Roz Minian had already prepared a lavish meal.
"Where's Madara?"
Is glanced around the hall but didn't see him, so he asked.
"Lord Madara is still bathing," another maid replied.
"And the matter I asked you to handle—how did it go?"
As he spoke, Is took his seat at the dining table.
A maid quickly stepped forward, placing a white napkin on him as she answered,
"As per your instructions, we brought in several female slaves—maids—to serve Lord Madara. But he refused all of them. How should we deal with them?"
"He didn't like them?"
"No, Master. Lord Madara simply said he didn't need them."
Since Madara didn't want them, Is didn't insist.
To be honest, he had already expected this outcome.
Madara's personality was the type that did as he pleased—he wouldn't adapt to Is's current lifestyle so easily.
"Alright then."
"What about those slaves?"
"Send them back to wherever they came from."
At this point, Is wasn't lacking in female slaves.
There were already plenty in his castle.
And now that he had begun focusing on training, he didn't have much time to spare on women.
Even if he did, his standards had risen—very few could catch his interest now.
…
With that, Is began enjoying his meal.
Several maids stood quietly beside him, ready to serve at a moment's notice.
"Master, would you like some entertainment?"
A maid asked softly.
By "entertainment," she meant things like dancing or singing performances—something to accompany the meal.
In the past, Is often enjoyed such things while eating.
But lately, he had grown tired of it.
"No need."
"Yes, Master."
Just as she finished speaking, the Den Den Mushi nearby began ringing.
Buru buru…
Buru buru…
Buru buru…
Is paused slightly.
The Den Den Mushi rarely rang—maybe once or twice a year—so this immediately caught his attention.
The maid quickly brought it over.
Is wiped his mouth, leaned back in his chair, and answered.
"Go ahead."
"This is Saint Dorak."
"Saint Dorak?"
Is murmured, slightly surprised.
Dorak had never called him before. This sudden call gave him a faint sense that something was off.
Usually, calls came from the World Government.
"That's right, it's me, Saint Is."
"Alright. What do you need?"
"Are you in Mary Geoise right now?"
"Yes."
"Perfect. Come out and see someone off. Saint Halls is heading to God Valley."
Under normal circumstances, Is wouldn't bother with something as trivial as a send-off.
But the moment he heard the words "God Valley," his eyes flickered.
God Valley—
The place where the Rocks Pirates would ultimately fall in the original story.
It was also inhabited by Celestial Dragons.
And compared to Mary Geoise, there were fewer of them there.
Rumor had it that going there required certain conditions—but what those were, Is didn't know.
One thing was certain—
God Valley definitely hid some kind of secret.
Otherwise, neither Rocks nor Roger would have gone there.
"Perfect… I can try to gather some information."
Is thought to himself.
Then he replied into the Den Den Mushi,
"Alright. I'll head over now."
"Good. See you soon, Saint Is."
Is hung up, removed the napkin from his neck, and instructed,
"I'm heading out. When Madara comes out, tell him not to wait for me."
"Yes, Master."
As he spoke, a maid had already gone to prepare his outfit.
In less than a minute, everything was ready.
After changing, Is left the castle alone.
The city gates of Mary Geoise weren't far from his residence.
Within ten minutes, he arrived.
Dorak and the others had only just gotten there themselves.
They were exchanging polite greetings.
Is stepped forward and joined in, offering a few formal words.
Naturally, he couldn't extract any useful information from Halls, so he didn't bother trying—just keeping things courteous.
"Great Saint Karl Halls, it's time. We should depart," a man in a black suit reminded him.
Halls nodded with a smile.
"Everyone, I'll be off."
The group nodded, watching as he left.
Afterward, Dorak and Is walked back together.
"So, Saint Is, how's that slave I gave you? Obedient enough?" Dorak asked.
Is nodded slightly.
"She's fine. But since you gave her to me, don't set your sights on her again."
"Hahaha!"
Dorak burst into laughter.
"What are you talking about? I don't lack slaves."
Is smiled faintly and teased,
"I heard you just found your 28th wife the other day."
"Don't you dare set your sights on my 28th wife. If you want one, you can pick from number 1 to 10… though I've already grown tired of them."
Is shrugged, still smiling.
"I'm a bit particular. I don't like things that have been used by others. By the way—what's the deal with Saint Halls? Why is he suddenly going to God Valley?"
"God Valley is just like Mary Geoise—a sacred land where we Celestial Dragons reside. It's nothing unusual for one of us to go there," Dorak replied.
Is followed up,
"Have you ever been there, Saint Dorak?"
"Never. And I don't want to. There are a few people there I can't stand," Dorak said casually.
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