Once the others had left, it was just the managers and myself remaining in the room. There was a short moment of silence, only allowing the slight sounds from the flickering of candle flames to occasionally break it. My face looked calm and relaxed, which led one of the more senior managers to become curious.
"Young Palace Master, you seem more relaxed now. Is it because we won't have to worry about the resource issue for a little longer?" The Senior Manager asked, taking the opportunity to get as close as she could, clearly making an attempt at advances. Her intent was clear that she just wanted to play for a bit.
"No, I'm relaxed because we won't have to worry about it ever again. Those four made some excellent strides while they were training in my Small Universe. Not to mention that they each took at least 2 wives who could also perform a similar feat." I chuckled, and held my hand up to keep the manager from getting closer. "The people in my Small Universe are probably the most versatile and varied cultivators around. And they live in as close to a perfect environment for learning my Dao as they could possibly be." I added with a smirk.
The managers heard this and fortunately displayed the reason why they were chosen as managers… In other words, they showed they had a working brain.
"Young Palace Master, forgive me for asking… But, if you truly have such individuals. Then would our problems not be solved in a matter of moments? And wouldn't the Myriads be easy to fill up with troops?" A manager asked.
"If I solved all of our problems for good… What would you all do if the worst happened to me in the fight I have ahead of me? Would you suddenly find a way to make do?" I replied, with the Socratic method. "If I filled the army with my own troops would that not be the same as me just leaving for war now? Or is it that I should go now?" I continued.
This interaction caused a few sparks. The Managers began thinking a bit deeper about the situation, and thus they realized a few key points they had previously glossed over.
"It's true, it might lead to a total collapse if the Young Master suffered the worst. And it wouldn't just be the difficult task of filling such large shoes, we'd all be filled with grief, and a heightened sense of dread." A manager clearly not afraid to talk about the truth mentioned, her voice nearly trembling as she spoke.
"That's right, and against this enemy, those are two things I'd prefer to limit as much as possible. This is an enemy that grows stronger as a direct result of those types of emotions existing in the world. The greater the amount, the worse it gets." I said, validating her words. This caused her to relax a bit, the tension must have been a result of saying something she wouldn't normally get away with.
"So, we really are being properly prepared to carry on regardless of the situation then?" Another manager mentioned, balling up their fists once before relaxing again.
"That's right. Reliance upon the strong is fine but it has its limits." I answered.
"But, Young Master is so powerful. Surely nothing could defeat you." One of the extremely, sexually thirsty managers said as then managed to touch my arm.
"Aside from my mothers always winning against me… If I was that strong, I would have gone to destroy Ink, and returned already. Making all of these issues a moot point in the first place. The fact they are issues that we must deal with, is proof that I am in fact worried that I may not be enough on my own. And to top that off, there's no telling how much preparation Ink will have done after sensing my existence. Of which, I have little doubt he knew of me long before I sent Wu Kuang over to the restriction." I explained, attempting to make the gravity of the situation more abundantly clear. "Part of the reason my mother's have continued to keep me from rearing children of my own, even in the face of my obvious desire to do so, is to give me more motivation to return home alive. Though, now that I'm this strong, I have to wait regardless." I added, as a little extra understanding.
"Well then, let us finish all of this work and then move on to that obscenely large pile of marriage proposals…" A manager noted, pointing at the seemingly endless stack of proposals.
What felt like an eternity later, really just a few days, we finished the giant stack of the cave heaven's management and even managed to deal with the proposals. Making sure to properly organize them. An oddly large number of them were arrangements made by masters for their incredibly young disciples. At first it was an odd concept to me until I asked what the idea was behind it.
"Young Palace Master, Masters will do that to ensure the future of their disciples. And the younger they are the better their foundations and thus cultivations will be in the future." A manager clearly familiar with the practice explained.
"I see, the practice happens on occasion in my small universe. I don't particularly care for it. But, it isn't an action that drops below my minimum requirements for adding world force… So I've mostly let it go, though they are highly limited in this practice. Those that do it must directly gain my approval." I replied, keeping the offers off to the side. "Well, I can't accept any of them. But I'm sure if they are contacted about an adjustment for a similar arrangement with one of my siblings, it could work out. So they'll stay off to the side for my father to review." I said stretching.
"And, what about this pile, Young Master?" A manager holding a rather small pile of offers asked.
"Hmm, that's the pile of ones I had no legitimate reason to directly say no to. My current wives will look through them and make decisions on the candidates. I'd rather not have more wives. But, I can't deny their obvious desire for more sisters. And if that wasn't enough, my father can still force me to marry two women regardless of my standards…" I answered, standing up unbothered by the nature of the discussion.