Dale's expression wasn't as cold as during the day, but it wasn't particularly warm either. He handed Li Xi a piece of paper. "We didn't anticipate this would escalate so much, far beyond an E-rank mission. But since the mission rank can't be changed now, we can only compensate you with commission. Here are 10 gold coins. You can claim them at the Mercenary Hall when dawn breaks."
Li Xi hadn't expected this silver-coin-level mission to turn out this way, with nearly twenty mercenaries dead. However, he was alive, and the commission had increased from one silver coin to 10 gold coins. This was a truly enormous sum, enough for an ordinary family to live on for over a decade, and even after paying off his loans, he'd have some left over.
Li Xi carefully put away the mission completion certificate and said righteously, "You're too kind, Steward. I'm a mercenary; the mission always comes first."
Li Xi didn't inquire much about the subsequent events at the manor. With his current strength, knowing more would be useless. He waited until dawn and, as soon as the breakfast shop opened, he rushed to eat.
After eating, it was just as the Mercenary Hall opened. Li Xi eagerly submitted his mission.
The counter staff produced the mission commission of 10 gold coins. "You are now an F-rank mercenary and completed an E-rank mission, which counts as a cross-rank completion. One E-rank mission is equivalent to two F-rank missions. This means you've completed three missions in total. Complete seven more, and you can rank up."
Li Xi had no idea about this rule. If that were the case, he wouldn't need to complete 10 missions to advance; five cross-rank completions would suffice.
He took the ten gold coins and quickly ran home. "Xiao Fan, I completed a mission cross-rank. Is the lottery draw one or two times?"
【Two times.】
Li Xi jumped up and down excitedly. If he could always complete missions cross-rank, his progress would double.
"Draw."
【Understood, Master.】
The big wheel reappeared. This time, instead of common tools like kunai and shuriken, there were two scrolls. The explanation stated that the scrolls contained a large quantity of tools. Li Xi found these scrolls familiar. If he wasn't mistaken, these should be Tenten's Twin Dragon scrolls.
Being able to rapidly fire a large number of weapons could be effective for taking down rookies, but it would be useless against slightly stronger opponents.
Looking at the ninjutsu, the first was the Clone Jutsu, another of the Three Jutsu. Needless to say, its function was to create a clone with no combat power, only meant to confuse enemies.
The second ninjutsu on the big wheel was another of the Three Jutsu that hadn't appeared before: the Transformation Jutsu.
Honestly, among the Three Jutsu, apart from the Clone Jutsu being somewhat garbage, the other two were extremely powerful. The Substitution Jutsu was self-explanatory; without it last night, Li Xi would have died dozens of times.
The Transformation Jutsu allowed one to temporarily change into another person or object. If the opponent wasn't sensitive to energy flow, Li Xi could turn into a small bird and defecate on their head without being discovered. In critical moments, this was a divine skill. Its applications included scouting, disguise, and escape. Li Xi wanted it if possible.
However, after viewing the next ninjutsu, Li Xi's mind changed, because the next one was the Body Flicker Jutsu.
The Body Flicker Jutsu was a high-speed movement ninjutsu. With enough speed, enemies couldn't hit you; with enough speed, you could toy with your enemies; with enough speed, you would be invincible.
"There are quite a few good items today."
Before even seeing half of them, Li Xi wanted everything.
The next one was Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu, a ninjutsu he'd wanted last time and which had reappeared. It spat out a fireball three to four meters in diameter from the mouth, with knockback and high-temperature damage.
The next was Earth Style: Earth Wall. Seeing this, Li Xi felt a surge of excitement. The Earth Wall created one or more walls on the ground for protection, which was incredibly useful at critical moments. In the original anime, it was one of the more frequently used Earth Style jutsus.
There was one last item. Li Xi looked at it and gasped, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. "How can this thing be here?"
What surprised Li Xi so much wasn't a powerful ninjutsu, but a small syringe labeled 'First Hokage Hashirama's Cells.' Anyone who had watched the anime knew how powerful the First Hokage was. With his Wood Style, he had made Madara Uchiha unable to hold his head up for his entire life. If one could fuse his cells, they would gain Wood Style, similar to Yamato. Their combat power could easily multiply by several dozen times.
Of course, the side effects and risks were significant, and the survival rate was extremely low. After injection, it was highly likely to be eroded by Hashirama's cells, turning into a large tree and dying for good.
If Li Xi were to draw this today, he truly wouldn't dare to use it. His current situation was manageable, and he didn't need to take such a huge risk using Hashirama's cells. This was something one should inject before death, using all their last resorts, to achieve a desperate resurrection.
After viewing the items on the big wheel today, Li Xi examined them again. The ninjutsu, scrolls, and Hashirama's cells had roughly equal probabilities of appearing, meaning the chances of obtaining them were about the same, with only minor differences.
Now, Li Xi felt confident. His luck was good today; all the items were excellent. No matter which two he ended up with, he would be satisfied.
"Spin."
【Understood, Master.】
The pointer spun at an imperceptible speed, giving Li Xi no chance to exploit any loopholes. Li Xi watched for a long time, truly finding no flaws.
"Stop."
The pointer's speed suddenly dropped. It spun past the Twin Dragon scrolls, past the Clone Jutsu, past the Transformation Jutsu, and stopped directly on the Body Flicker Jutsu.
【Congratulations, Master, for obtaining the Body Flicker Jutsu.】
Li Xi clenched his fist. This was one of the ninjutsu he wanted most today. "Good."
The Body Flicker Jutsu disappeared. No new ninjutsu replaced it; its empty spot was equally divided among the other ninjutsu.
"Spin again."
The pointer spun again. Li Xi simply stopped looking. He closed his eyes, and at one moment...
"Stop."
Li Xi dared not open his eyes. After silently counting to one minute in his mind, he cautiously opened a small slit, like a gambler secretly counting cards, his heart filled with apprehension as he peeked at the pointer.
He saw the pointer stopped precisely on the Transformation Jutsu.
【Congratulations, Master, for obtaining the Transformation Jutsu.】
Although he didn't get other ninjutsu, the Transformation Jutsu was acceptable.
"Good, good."
Two sets of memories merged into his brain. In moments, Li Xi mastered both ninjutsu, and his internal chakra had also increased severalfold. This freed Li Xi from the desperate predicament of only being able to use the Substitution Jutsu twenty times.
The Transformation Jutsu and Body Flicker Jutsu were imprinted in his mind, giving Li Xi a certain understanding of them. He could now move rapidly within a ten-meter range, and with the increase in chakra, the distance would extend further. The Body Flicker Jutsu wasn't instantaneous teleportation that ignored space, but rather high-speed movement. To ordinary people, it appeared as instant movement, but to experts, it was merely a slight increase in speed. Given Li Xi's current encounters, almost no one could distinguish between teleportation and the Body Flicker Jutsu.
The Transformation Jutsu, while allowing Li Xi to change into other people and objects, still had flaws. If someone observed closely, they could still notice the imperfections. Moreover, it couldn't be maintained for long; currently, it could only last for five minutes.
With his understanding of the two ninjutsu complete and his strength further enhanced, Li Xi began to consider his next steps. The immediate matters before him were: first, to redeem his house deed. This was not a problem, as he had enough money. However, having to spend two and a half gold coins for no reason in just a few days left him feeling resentful. Therefore, Li Xi decided not to spend money; double-dealing was much more satisfying.
Second, he knew too little about this world and couldn't even recognize the characters. He needed to acquire a significant amount of knowledge. This wouldn't require a lot of study time; he could hire a mage for knowledge transference. It cost ten gold coins per session, covering basic human common language characters, an analysis of the continent's situation, and introductions to different professions. One transference session provided lifelong benefit. If he wanted more knowledge, he could spend more gold coins; mages could fulfill all his desires.
Li Xi looked at the ten gold coins in his hand, which were still warm. He had risked his life, yet it was worth less than a single scroll for these mages. The crucial point was that this money was willingly handed over to them. He could only gnash his teeth helplessly. Knowledge, everywhere, was a symbol of wealth.
The third matter was to change his equipment. During his fight with Frank this time, he had only exchanged one round, and his leather armor was ruined. Of course, if he hadn't had this leather armor, he would have been at least seriously injured, or possibly died on the spot. The importance of equipment was self-evident. With a weapon secured, acquiring good armor was paramount.
Li Xi pondered for a moment. "I should go for knowledge transference first. Otherwise, being completely clueless about everything will leave me too passive."
He took off his tattered leather armor, tied his saber to his waist, and headed towards the most prosperous street in Cardo City. This Kadolo Avenue, named after the city lord, was lined with luxury stores, the best hotels, the best equipment shops, the best dessert shops, and the best potion shops. The goods here were not just good in Cardo City, but also on the entire continent. Li Xi's intended purchase, the knowledge transference scroll, was also found here.
'Monk's Magic Hut.'
This was the shop where the intermediate mage Monk sold his magical equipment. Monk was the mage who posted missions at the Mercenary Hall seeking apprentices to assist him.
"What can I get for you, honored customer?" a charming young girl greeted Li Xi enthusiastically, showing no disdain despite his coarse linen clothes.
Li Xi looked around the shop, which contained only a few dozen items, appearing very spacious. There were a few scrolls, some potions, a few pieces of equipment, as well as some magic staffs and materials he couldn't understand.
"I want to buy a knowledge transference scroll."
The young girl retrieved a scroll covered in mysterious patterns from the shelf and placed it before Li Xi. "This is the most basic knowledge transference scroll. It includes an introduction to the continent, human script transference, and a preliminary explanation of multiple planes."
"How much is it?" Li Xi knew the price, but he still had to ask.
"10 gold coins."
Li Xi promptly produced ten gold coins. "I'll take it."
The young girl collected the gold coins and called out to Li Xi, who was about to leave. "Sir, you can use the scroll in our private room. If any unexpected situations arise, we can handle them immediately, ensuring your safety."
There was even an accompanying service? But Li Xi didn't believe there was such a good thing. "How much is it?"
The young girl smiled. "It's free of charge. We provide it as a complimentary service. After all, who can guarantee that magic scrolls are without risk? Even scrolls crafted by the Magic Goddess can sometimes fail."
Hearing her mention risk, Li Xi felt uneasy. Magic was powerful, but it could also be very dangerous if mishandled. It was like an ordinary person messing with TNT; a slight mistake could cause the whole family to ascend. He, in particular, knew nothing about it. If something truly unexpected happened, he would be done for.