Kaze walked to the mansion housing the Lockheed University students.
The group was extremely valuable because he handpicked each for their minds, strengths, or looks. In particular, there were engineers among them that were critical to accomplish his goals.
Moreover, he intentionally let them experience the apocalypse, so they'd understand he saved their lives and what it was like to have desperate people demanding things of them.
Therefore, he planned to make them an elite force that sympathized with him and had the power to protect his interests once the news broke and he got flooded with thousands of requests from faction members blaming him for tricking them.
However, he first needed to solve the [serial killer] problem and [destroy his internal enemies] before they could do serious damage.
Otherwise, they'd run out screaming he was a serial killer, having the opposite effect, and they wouldn't help him.
So he plastered a fake smile and walked into the mansion and down the stairs to their living area.
When Kaze walked in, only a dozen people noticed. Everyone else was distributed through the massive downstairs area.
"K-Kaze!" A woman yelled out awkwardly.
"Kaze!" Another yelled.
No one knew what to say, so they just yelled his name, hoping someone else would speak.
"It is I, Kaze Lexicon." Kaze announced with cheeky magnanimity, putting his leather satchel on the ground.
Everyone looked at it with interest and anxiety, so he opened it and showed them that there were only documents, folders, and manilla envelopes inside.
People sighed a breath of relief and left the room to fetch the other people.
Within thirty seconds, most students were in the area or peeking into the room nervously.
Many people wore towels from swimming or hot tubbing, and a few were soaked in sweat from the gym.
He was satisfied they made use of the recreational features.
When everyone was assembled, he addressed the most important thing on everyone's mind.
"Before I teach you cultivation, would anyone like to accuse me of villainy, charge me with kidnapping, and denounce the iniquity of my actions?" Kaze asked with a poker face.
The room fell silent, stunned by his words. He panned their gazes with an unwavering face, analyzing their mental states.
"No one?" He chuckled, "Surely there's one person stewing in the corner like a tormented curmudgeon, leading sermons on my wicked deeds while people ignore them to hit the swimming pool."
His cheeky response and charming smile made a dozen women giggle, and soon a few dozen people laughed quietly.
"Still no one?" Kaze smiled, "Surely one person has disregarded the lavish meals, recreational equipment, shockingly quality beds, rules for member safety, and the fact you're in a multi-million dollar mansion at Immortal Skye because—"
The emperor knocked on the steel door twice dramatically.
"—there's a steel door, a few rules against leaving for [one week], and unnaturally reinforced walls.
Naturally, these features prove that I'm a serial killer looking to fatten you up and experiment on you. So you'd think there would be one."
He wiggled his fingers in a [spooooky] gesture.
Once again, bewildered giggles and chuckles burst out in the downstairs area. Many were involuntary, pushing the laughing people to more than half.
Kaze panned their gazes again, locking eyes with the people stewing openly and continuing without a second glance.
"Still? You're proving me wrong." He chuckled, "Isn't there one person that heard thousands of people cheering an hour ago and thought—those poor shmucks, just wait until they find out there's a serial killer on the loose?"
Many people burst into laughter, which became contagious, spreading through the group until most people were laughing.
After a few seconds of silence, he laughed.
"Of course there is, but they think I'll draw and quarter them in the open or that they'll go missing for speaking out. So I suppose I won't pursue it further." Kaze laugh-scoffed, rolling his eyes.
More laughs rang out in the room.
"Okay, since those people aren't causing a ruckus, who wants to learn cultivation?" He asked with a slight smile.
A few people burst into cheers, and they spread through the group.
"Okay, let's get on with it." He smiled, "Let's get into the lotus position in the room's center. Today we're learning earth-grade cultivation techniques."
Everyone's eyes widened in astonishment.
"E-Earth-grade?" Someone whispered.
"That's what I said, yes?" Kaze replied with a slight smile, "Everyone here will be learning five this week and you will all have a headstart on the people searching for them outside."
People trembled in shock and excitement.
"You… already know earth-grade techniques and are teaching them?" Kylie, the brunette cheerleader from the apocalypse party, asked nervously.
"Oh, about that." Kaze chuckled, "I'm the Emperor; both of them. The man in and out of here is Daniel Skye; he smuggled me around the world to meet clients."
The room fell silent in shock, unwilling to accept what they heard.
"Hoh? I suppose that something like this needs an explanation." He chuckled while closing his eyes.
His body warped, and his body took the shape of the masked man from the Emperor's testimonial videos.
"N-No fucking way!" Larkin yelled while pulling his arms back, "Scrawn fuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
His hype man's battle cry triggered loud, chaotic cheers as if by magic.
While Kaze didn't like the moniker, he was okay with it if it was helping his cause. Moreover, he knew that Larkin was a heavy voice on the inside fighting for him as he saved his life.
He released the illusion again.
"Once again, we're learning an earth-grade cultivation technique called the Fertility of Growth." Kaze continued.
"Before people get testy, no, it's not dual cultivation. It's normal cultivation and the highest earth-grade technique I've provided anyone.
I'll be directly imprinting it onto your minds to compensate for the inconvenience of being in this room. So get into position so we can get started."
His last statement shocked everyone the most.
"In compensation?" Sage asked in confusion, "What makes us special?"
The emperor smiled at her words. "I know everyone here, so naturally, you're all privileged, and I'm giving you resources and higher positions in the faction.
I can't let thousands of people accuse me of favoritism and destabilize the meritocratic system with their imprudent boasting, yes?"
Kaze glanced at Larkin, who was dumb as a box of rock and way too honest for his own good. "That's sure to arise, yes?"
Most members burst into laughter, and then again when Larkin gave a definitive thumbs up.
Excited whispers rang through the crowd after the laughter. Kaze planted the first seed, and it instantly took root, leaving him satisfied.
Most people were excited, those mistrusting were still mistrusting, and Sage and Veronica narrowed their eyes in suspicion.
They felt that his intentions were good but knew he was lying. They never forgot his statement that the outside wasn't calm.
Neither of them witnessed the fourth influx event; Sage was at home, and Veronica was picked up with Jake after he lost his virginity.
However, they had heard the stories of what happened as well.
Nevertheless, they didn't pursue it further.
Kaze checked his watch to grasp everyone's attention. "I don't have all day. Does anyone want to turn down a billion-dollar earth-grade technique to continue these inconsequential inquiries?"
Everyone turned silent. Larkin ran into the room's center and got into the lotus position.
The emperor casually walked up to the man and touched his forehead.
Larkin cringed as profound information crashed into his mind, rapidly developing synapse networks in his underdeveloped brain.
"E-Emperor Scrawn, I know it! I know Fertility of Growth!" He yelled out loud in ultimate excitement, "I'm not sure how. It's just like Illuminecent Breathing!"
The man was irreparably stupid, but he was honest, so everyone quickly sat down, trusting his words. They all experienced the same thing, so they understood now.
Kaze quickly approached each in the lotus position to touch their head. Each exclaimed one after the other.
The last people to sit down sat in the lotus position were the dissidents who sat with their eyes open, watching him like a hawk.
The emperor gave each person a mocking smile.
"One, two, three… six… twelve… thirteen. You thirteen are the people that think I'm a killer." He asserted.
"I'll make sure to watch you [extra] closely so you don't expose my secrets. Oooooh."
An icy chill crawled down their spines when he said he'd watch them extra closely.
However, once he finished his mocking statement with a sarcastic spooky-spooky voice.
The men and women in the group blushed, and their faces burned in indignation as the other students burst into laughter.
Kaze gave them a mocking smile. "Do you want an earth-grade technique, or do you want to stay powerless and never be capable of breaking out of your torture cell?"
More laughter followed, and the individuals swallowed nervously.
They didn't like getting called out, and asking for the technique seemed awkward. So they stared at him with the eyes of deers.
The emperor scoffed breathlessly at their behavior. "Closing your eyes is a key component of cultivation, yes?
I won't give you a cultivation technique if you're unwilling to cultivate.
Doing that would be a treasonous waste of time, and I refuse to beg people to give them priceless things for free."
"I-I'm sorry. I'm closing my eyes." A woman said while closing her eyes.
Someone watching her followed, closing their eyes. Kaze took a deep breath and walked up, imprinting the technique onto their minds.
Each of them was overcome with emotions when the technique entered their minds.
The emperor sighed silently, keeping his fake smile going.
His patience with the dissenters was wearing thin, but he couldn't kill the people or throw them out of the faction.
If it came out later that he let them leave while withholding information on the apocalypse, they'd treat him like an executioner.
It would undo all of his training, and they would spread panic instead of being useful.
The value of death was in demonstrating consequences, not creating arbitrary fear.
Otherwise, the person's inconsequential voice would become a powerful martyr, helping people sow discontent and cause serious problems.
However, he wouldn't let them go unpunished. So he continued with his lecture; in less than an hour, he'd break their political spines.
So he grinned and bared it.
"Now that everyone's cultivating the technique, is there a woman that feels confident in their skills?" Kaze asked with a slight smile.
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