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Tazmi was helpless. Sayu had already proactively stated her stance, so what else could he do?
Uchiha Madara, conversely, was quite pleased with Sayu's quick grasp of the situation. After all, this little girl was now completely within his control.
"Ah! Right, Tazmi, this is for you!"
With that, Uchiha Madara unreservedly retrieved Tazmi's coin purse from Leone, who was still casually slung over his shoulder, and handed it to Tazmi.
Taking his coin purse, Tazmi suddenly realized:
"This is... my money! So that's it! That woman was the swindler who stole my money! I never expected Mr. Madara to even capture her! This is amazing!"
Patting the utterly unconscious and drunken Leone on his shoulder, Uchiha Madara smiled enigmatically:
"This female swindler's identity isn't as simple as just 'swindler.' In short, she's still very important to me!
"Alright, Tazmi, let's not discuss her issues anymore. Let's talk about yours!"
With that, Uchiha Madara gently placed Leone onto the sofa, then sat down himself, gesturing for Tazmi to take the seat opposite him. Thus began an important conversation between men:
"Tazmi, your original intention in coming to the Imperial Capital was to earn money and improve your hometown. However, you've now witnessed the dreadful state within the Imperial Capital for yourself. Though it appears prosperous, this is truly a terrifying place where people devour each other. It's really no place for a simple country person like you to remain. What do you intend to do?"
Uchiha Madara brutally unveiled the true face of the Imperial Capital to Tazmi. Coupled with the profound shock of Ieyasu's death, Uchiha Madara's stark pronouncement left Tazmi deeply wavering:
"This... Mr. Madara, the Imperial Capital truly isn't suited for me, but... I finally left my village with the ambition to make a living elsewhere. To return empty-handed like this... I truly can't face going back!"
"I see... that's a valid point. Returning without accomplishing anything would indeed be shameful. In that case..."
With that, Uchiha Madara pulled out a check from his inner pocket. With a swift, practiced flourish, he quickly filled it out and handed it to Tazmi.
Tazmi took it, looking at the amount on the front of the check:
"One... Ten... Hundred... Thousand... Ten thousand... Hundred thousand... Million... Ten million!
"Ten Million!"
Tazmi's face paled in utter shock. The thin check in his hand felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and his hands trembled uncontrollably:
"M-Mr. Madara... What... what is this...?"
"Sayu is now my personal maidservant. Consider this money Sayu's lifetime wages; it should be more than enough to improve an entire village!"
Tazmi was still trembling, finding it truly difficult to believe:
"This... this... such an enormous sum... it's simply... simply... I..."
"Enough, just accept it with peace of mind! While this is no small sum, to me, it's nothing."
"This..."
After half a day of hesitation, Tazmi finally looked up and saw Sayu's resolute gaze standing behind Uchiha Madara. Only then did he grit his teeth, tuck the ten million check into his inner pocket, and stand, performing a deeply respectful bow to Uchiha Madara!
"Mr. Madara! I am truly, incredibly grateful!"
After bowing, Tazmi straightened up, his eyes gleaming with renewed vigor:
"With this money, I can improve my village and the lives of everyone in it! I'll set off immediately, leave the Imperial Capital, and return to my village!"
Uchiha Madara was somewhat taken aback. Why was this fellow in such a rush?
"Hmm? Going back now, but it's already late. How about staying here for the night and discussing it tomorrow?"
"Mr. Madara has already shown me immense kindness. I truly don't wish to trouble you any further! I'll set off right now and travel through the night!"
"Well... alright. Since you're so insistent, I won't keep you then. Sayu, help me see Tazmi off!"
"Yes! Lord Madara!"
After a final bow to Uchiha Madara, Tazmi walked out ahead, with Sayu following behind, and the two departed this place one after the other.
Uchiha Madara was right to let Sayu see Tazmi off.
Firstly, they had been playmates since childhood and knew each other intimately. Furthermore, after receiving the money from Uchiha Madara this time, Tazmi might never see Sayu again once he returned.
Of the three childhood playmates, Ieyasu was dead, leaving only Sayu and Tazmi.
From then on, Sayu would remain by Uchiha Madara's side, while Tazmi would return alone to his hometown. For these childhood playmates, this might very well be their final meeting, and there were likely many words they needed to exchange.
Uchiha Madara wasn't bothered. He simply sat quietly on the sofa, waiting.
About half an hour later, Sayu returned.
Looking at Sayu, whose expression was tinged with melancholy, Uchiha Madara asked:
"...He left?"
Sayu nodded:
"He's gone. From now on, we might truly never see each other again!"
"Mm-hmm..."
Uchiha Madara fell into deep thought, his expression unreadable.
In his mind, Sayu was ultimately meant to leave this world alongside him. From that perspective, the two would no longer belong to the same world, and it was indeed highly probable they would never meet again.
Therefore, Uchiha Madara could not make any guarantees to Sayu regarding such a matter.
Furthermore, a crucial reason was that Uchiha Madara's actual intention was to get Tazmi out of the Imperial Capital, to a place far, far away. After all, Tazmi is the protagonist of the original story! If he were to remain in the Imperial Capital, Uchiha Madara couldn't guarantee what might unfold next. Concepts like 'qi luck' are profoundly mysterious, and Uchiha Madara hadn't yet fully grasped whether the future would naturally gravitate towards the protagonist's presence. He dared not make any reckless conjectures.
Moreover, given Sayu's connection to both Tazmi and himself, Uchiha Madara couldn't simply do anything to Tazmi. He could only resort to tempting him with money, persuading him to leave.
Only after Tazmi truly left did Uchiha Madara feel he could truly begin to stir up trouble here.
No longer dwelling on Tazmi's matters, Uchiha Madara stood, hoisted the utterly intoxicated Leone back onto his shoulder, and said to Sayu:
"Alright, no need to concern yourself with those matters anymore. Sayu, go find a clean bedroom and settle this woman!"
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