It's true that winning a war greatly relies on military strength and tactical prowess
But most enduring reigns are secured through deception and cunning
Because by misleading and concealing their true intentions could they ensure stability and dominance long after the war is over
"You were so amazing Renz-sama, everything went according to your plan"
As I entered my room just beside where Kurenai and Hinata were, Albedo hugged one of my arms as she looked at me with worship in her eyes
"Haha! Is that so? I wouldn't have been able to do it without you and Sebas"
"Not at all, Renz-sama; the way you crafted that story was nothing short of masterful. Truly befitting a supreme being like yourself"
"Albedo remember, the art of deception is a powerful tool in our arsenal. A well-placed lie can sway entire armies or turn allies into enemies, all without dealing a single blow"
As I said that, Albedo stopped walking making me look back. She seems to be deep in thought
"Hey, what's wrong, Albedo?"
Her eyes widened in surprise "I apologise Renz-sama, I just thought of something because of what you said"
I sat on the edge of the bed and tapped the empty space beside me, instructing Albedo to sit
"However, words alone are not enough to make her believe what I said"
"Then you mean we should show her some supposed-to-be races from your story?"
I nodded "Yes, I shall entrust you with that task" She nodded "I shall do as you say Renz-sama"
I lay down on the bed and looked at the ceiling as I asked Albedo
"Have you heard about the Stockholm Syndrome?"
Albedo tilts her head "I apologise Renz-sama but I have not"
"It's a psychological phenomenon where hostages or victims develop emotional bonds and positive feelings toward their captors, sometimes even defending them. It's quite counterintuitive—imagine trusting someone who has taken you hostage"
Albedo looked surprised "Fascinating. So, the victim begins to see their captor as a protector, a friend, and even a lover?"
"Precisely. It's thought to arise from a survival instinct, where the victim perceives their captor as less threatening or even caring, to reduce their fear and increase their chances of survival"
Albedo nodded thoughtfully. "That is quite intriguing,, Renz-sama. It shows how complex and fragile those lowly human minds can be"
"I agree. Emotional bonds can form in unexpected ways. Such phenomena can be useful, especially in these circumstances, don't you think so?"
Albedo's eyes widened as she seemed to understand where I was getting at
"So that's why you purposely leaked your power and enticed those lowly humans to enter this place. I'm in awe as to how far you planned ahead Renz-sama"
"*cough*, *cough*" I coughed as I got chocked on my own saliva
Damn Albedo, why do you even have to remind me about it
"Yes, Albedo it is as exactly as you said"
"*Grrrroooaaaaawwl*"
My face reddened as the sound of my hungry stomach echoed through the room
Albedo looked at me in surprise "How careless of me! I apologise Renz-sama, I have forgotten to arrange your meal, I shall immediately prepare one for you" as she hastily made her way towards the door
I nodded, still a little embarrassed "Thank you Albedo" as I looked at her figure leaving the room
I must admit, I am indeed feeling hungry, I haven't eaten anything yet since I woke up
I only wanted to test my skills in the cemetery, who would have thought that a fight would break out because of it
Now Kurenai and the others have been taken in as prisoners and I even needed to create an impromptu bullshit about us
Lesson learned, I definitely won't practice in that place ever again
"What a day"
I walked towards the table where Kurenai and her team's belongings were neatly placed
It seems like when the maids disarmed them they brought their belongings here in my room and placed all of them here
As I started rummaging through the ninja pouches, my fingers trembled slightly with excitement, and a smile stretched across my face
As I tilt the bag over, the contents spill out onto the surface
The kunai and shuriken, clatter and rattle as they hit the table
I looked at one of the shurikens and inspected it meticulously then a blue screen appeared beside it
[Shuriken]
[Rank: Common]
[A weapon crafted using metal commonly found in this world]
I started to wonder if this weapon could harm me or the floor guardians since technically they are merely low-level weapons that have no special effect
However, I soon shook my head as I remembered that most shurikens couldn't even pierce through a mere tree trunk, much less my defences
As long as the shuriken isn't covered by a high-level ninja's chakra, I should be fighting if one even hit me
Still, I'll equip myself with some equipment before heading out to make sure nothing bad would happen to me
I started to focus my attention on their belongings and grabbed 4 round wallets
Among the 4 round wallets one was visibly bigger and fuller than the rest, I started opening their zippers and emptied them on the table
The coins start to spread across along with the bills, their crisp edges and colourful hues adding a splash of colour to the pile
"It looks like I hit the jackpot" Among the bills, I can already see some with the number 200 printed on them
Seems like Hinata and Kurenai carried a lot of Ryo on them since most of the bills come from feminine round wallets with some embroideries on them
Or maybe they belong to Shino or Kiba. Well not that it matters who owns them anyway, they are all mine now, including the two women
Kidding aside
I decided to put the Ryo in my storage to see if the Ryo would increase, and luckily, it did
I started to put all the Ryo on the table starting from the coins to the bills
After putting them all in, I checked my System shop and saw that it now says
[Gold: 999,999,999] [Ryo: 34,540]
I cracked my neck left and right, It's now time for some shopping
"SYSTEM SHOP"
[*Chakra pill - When consumed, it will increase the level of that person by 1. Will only work on Ninjas of this World - Cost 5,000 RYO]
[*Pill of Potential - When consumed, it will break the limited potential of that person and will increase it by 1. Will only work on Ninjas of this world - Cost 5,000 Ryo]
[*Pill of Talent – When consumed, it will increase that person's talent at controlling chakra. Will only work on Ninjas of this World – Cost 5,000 RYO]
[*Water of youth - When consumed it will bring back someone to its youth. Will only work on Ninjas of this World – Cost 10,000 RYO]
[*Cloak of Absolute Invisibility - Upon wearing, the person will gain absolute invisibility and block all the detection techniques of Ninjas. Will only work against Ninjas - Cost 10,000 RYO]
[Locked]
[Locked]
[Locked]
[Gold:999,999,999] [Ryo:34,540]
The most important thing for me right now is the Cloak of Absolute Invisibility since Ninjas of this world have a lot of different detection techniques like Hinata's Byakugan
I decided to purchase two Cloak of Absolute Invisibility to test their effect against her Byakugan
Luckily, Shino who is good at sensing Chakra through his bugs is also here along with Kiba who has a keen sense of smell
*Knock*
*Knock*
*Knock*
The door to my room opened after the knocks, as I looked towards it, my eyes widened as I had never seen her wearing something like that in the Anime
Albedo walks seductively while wearing a white maid's uniform; it fits her perfectly, showing her curves in all the right places
Her eyes fixed on me. As she smiled widely, her eyes seemed to sparkle with a hint of mischief
"Renz-sama, your meal is ready" She said, stopping in front of me
Albedo clapped her hands and maids entered the room carrying carts that were still steaming with freshly cooked foods
"Albedo, why are you wearing that outfit?"
Albedo looked at her outfit and looked back at me "What's wrong, Renz-sama? Do you not like it?" She asked as she playfully traced her fingers on her body, making her curves more prominent
I couldn't resist the temptation so I walked towards her and placed both of my arms on the curve of her hips, she wrapped her arms around my torso as she nestles into the embrace
"You like it right Renz-sama?" She said in a soft tone
I noticed that she seems to be gentle compared to her version in the anime, like a wife greeting her husband after arriving home from work
I started to guess if this would happen if her feelings were reciprocated unlike her desperate version in the anime
I looked down at her and saw that she was looking at me nervously, waiting for my reply. I smiled, seeing her tense expression
"You look good in that Albedo"
Seeing our actions, the maids looked at us with shocked expressions, their mouths wide open
I smiled wryly at them as I predicted that these gossipers would surely start telling everyone about this
Well not that it matters
"You have done your job splendidly, you can leave now"
They all bowed in unison. "It's our pleasure serving you, Lord" Then left
Albedo placed plate after plate of luxurious food on the table. The presentation of each dish is nothing short of breath-taking
My room became filled with the food's aroma of different spices and herbs, the smells were so enticing that my mouth began to water in anticipation
After Albedo served the last dish, she sat beside me then grabbed a piece of wagyu beef "Here Renz-sama" She said while beaming with joy as she fed me