"You abandoned the plan to rescue them?!"
Kahn's voice rose instinctively before he forced it back down, continuing his questioning.
"What do you an? What exactly are you doing?"
"We didn't abandon the plan—we adjusted it," the shop clerk explained patiently.
"Our original strategy was to intercept and rescue them midway, but it was revised shortly afterward."
"Who gave the order to change it?"
"Elder Iroh."
"Iroh… You an Uncle Iroh?"
Kahn froze for a mont, clearly not expecting Iroh to appear in this matter at all.
The sharp edge in his tone vanished instantly, leaving him awkwardly caught between reactions.
After all, this was Iroh.
Kahn believed there had to be a reason behind it.
"Ahem."
He coughed lightly, pretending nothing had happened.
"Alright, so what exactly is going on?"
The shop clerk wiped nonexistent sweat from his forehead, silently marveling at how quickly Kahn's attitude had shifted.
However, instead of answering, he bowed slightly.
"My apologies, Sir Kahn. The details of this operation are classified within the Order of the White Lotus and can only be disclosed to its mbers."
"But your previous cooperation with us was most successful, and I believe you've already ford a favorable impression of the Order."
"Furthermore, Elder Iroh is your ntor. If you were willing to join us…"
…What?
The sudden recruitnt attempt caught Kahn completely off guard.
But once he understood what was happening, he almost laughed.
This kind of recruitnt tactic?
Zero out of ten.
Trying to intimidate first and then lure him in with benefits?
Did they seriously think that would work on him?
Did these White Lotus people misunderstand sothing about him?
Did they even know the kind of people he dealt with daily?
Did they think they were Azula?
Ridiculous.
Even if the offer itself surprised him, and even if he couldn't be sure whether Iroh was involved, he had nothing but contempt for such a heavy-handed approach.
Even if Iroh himself stood here right now, it wouldn't change his answer.
"I'm not interested."
"Alright then, no need to continue. Goodbye."
Without waiting for the clerk to finish speaking, Kahn stood up, turned, and walked out without hesitation.
He gave a casual wave as he left, his figure disappearing through the doorway while the White Lotus mbers inside stared in stunned silence.
That very night, Kahn went straight into the Spirit World to confront Iroh face-to-face and lodged a firm complaint about the Order's arrogant recruitnt tactics.
"If I hadn't been sitting in a teahouse, I would've thought the one trying to recruit was Ozai himself, with that tone."
"Hahaha, so that's what happened?"
Iroh burst into hearty laughter, seemingly unconcerned with his position as an elder of the White Lotus.
Once he finished laughing, he explained,
"That fellow Green has likely spent too long in the capital and picked up a few unfortunate habits."
"But his character is sound. You needn't worry."
Green was the White Lotus operative in charge of the capital region—a high-ranking mber.
This recruitnt attempt had been his initiative, likely because he saw potential in Kahn.
It had nothing to do with Iroh.
Though Iroh himself did hope Kahn would one day join the White Lotus, he wanted that decision to co from Kahn's own understanding and conviction.
Only then would it hold aning.
As for the clerk who had spoken earlier, he was rely one of Green's subordinates.
Kahn, naturally, had no interest in eting this so-called Green.
At present, he had no intention of joining the organization—and likely never would.
He let out a quiet scoff.
"If that weren't the case, I would've tead up with Azula and burned that entire hideout to the ground."
Hearing that, Iroh montarily felt as though he were seeing Azula's shadow in Kahn.
Clearly, while Kahn was influencing her, she was also influencing him in return.
Yet Iroh only chuckled, not the least bit concerned.
Kahn's firebending talent wasn't limited to strength or speed of growth.
It also lay in his understanding of restraint.
Iroh had full confidence in his student.
Returning to the main matter, the recruitnt incident was rely a minor distraction.
What truly mattered was the change to the rescue plan for Li Dun and his n.
As for the "classified information" the clerk had ntioned, Iroh seed to treat it lightly, explaining everything to Kahn in full detail.
In truth, Iroh had devised his counterasure the mont he first t Kahn in the Spirit World and learned about his plan and Li Dun's situation.
The goal had been to better align with Kahn's strategy.
Instead of carrying out the original rescue, Iroh altered the plan entirely.
He arranged for agents to infiltrate the labor camp where Li Dun and his n were being held.
There, they would ensure their safety while allowing them ti to recover, waiting for the right mont to strike back.
"I believe that since your plan succeeded, Ozai will likely handle future rebels in the sa way."
"That gives them a chance to survive."
"But if Li Dun and the others had been rescued outright, Ozai would have shifted fully to extermination tactics."
"That would have led to far greater losses."
"Based on that, I chose to change the plan."
"It does an they'll have to endure hardship for a longer ti."
After finishing, Iroh sighed softly, as though apologizing for the suffering Li Dun and his n would have to bear.
Kahn, anwhile, was utterly stunned.
Every step Ozai had taken so far aligned perfectly with Iroh's predictions.
This entire mission was proof of that.
So this was the wisdom of the legendary Dragon of the West…
Kahn could only silently marvel.
Iroh really was on another level.
Seeing that his predictions had proven accurate, Iroh stroked his beard with a faintly smug smile, even teasing Ozai alongside Kahn for being too shortsighted.
Though in truth, that judgnt wasn't entirely fair.
The real issue was the vast gap in information.
As the saying went, destruction often began from within.
A visible threat could be guarded against, but a hidden blade was far more dangerous.
Right now, Ozai appeared to hold absolute control.
Yet he had no idea that the very foundation beneath him had already been compromised.
Kahn and Azula's position seed incredibly dangerous on the surface.
But if used correctly, they could beco the sharpest dagger aid straight at Ozai's heart.
And now, it seed they already were.
With this new understanding, Kahn felt completely at ease.
As long as things continued like this, he couldn't imagine how they could possibly lose.
At this rate, they could just charge straight in and crush everything.
…Ahem.
Better not get carried away.
Overconfidence had a way of inviting disaster.
So, with a balance of confidence and caution, he and Azula set out once more.
Their second mission had begun.
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