Aoko was no longer the amateur Magus she had once been. She had heard some rumors about the Mage's Association and the Thousand Tree Clan—indeed, the matter had spread throughout the entire world of magecraft. The Thousand Tree Clan had openly raised the banner of rebellion against the Mage's Association, yet the Association had been utterly unable to do anything about them. Every Magus it sent had been wiped out, and in the end, it had even been forced to pay them a huge sum in compensation.
If the Thousand Tree Clan had not relocated eastward in response to Fang Zheng's new strategy afterward, the Mage's Association would have been stripped down to its underwear.
Aoko did not particularly like the Mage's Association, but neither did she especially dislike it. However, the Thousand Tree Clan was another matter altogether...
"You're with the Thousand Tree Clan?"
"More or less. You can think of them as being under my protection."
Sitting on the sofa, Fang Zheng nodded smugly, while Aoko's expression darkened further.
"The world is so big. Why did you have to come to Japan?"
"Because some things will be more convenient to accomplish here. Besides, this is beyond the Mage's Association's reach, making it suitable for us to develop our forces. If someone hadn't suddenly become a Magician, none of this would have needed to be so troublesome..."
At that, Fang Zheng pursed his lips.
Aoko could no longer stand it.
"Why don't you go across the sea? One of their provinces is bigger than our entire country!"
"Unfortunately, private land transactions aren't allowed there. I was thinking of buying Mount Fuji for the view."
"Then go to Siberia!"
"That godforsaken place doesn't even have any people. If I can come to Japan, why would I go to Siberia?"
"What