Lawrence, an information broker, was leisurely savoring fine wine. Being older, every day he lived felt like a bonus. This spirit, brewed only in small batches in Cado City and deemed worthy of true men, brought a sense of world conquest with every sip.
The only drawback was its scarcity and exorbitant price, costing more than gold by weight. Money was not an issue for Lawrence; his underground vault was nearly full.
This wine also had another flaw: after a few glasses, one would suffer a splitting headache the next day. The first time, he hadn't known, but after drinking too much, the pain was so intense he wished he could split his skull open with an axe.
However, news from Cado City claimed that such headaches were merely a sign of one's inability to handle the liquor's potency, like an untamable wild horse or an unconquered enemy. True warriors, it was said, would not suffer headaches.
Upon hearing this, the number of wine buyers more than tenfold!
Now, only a select few who tasted this potent spirit would admit to having a headache the next day. They all claimed to be unaffected, proclaiming themselves true warriors, and would loudly boast about the liquor's rarity and preciousness, thereby elevating their own status and driving the already sky-high price even higher.
As a result, Cado City's liquor orders were backed up for three years. Even then, full payment was required upfront, with no deposits accepted, nor payment upon delivery. This completely positioned the sellers in an unassailable market.
Lawrence downed the last drop of spirit in his glass, his mighty breath unstirred. He closed his eyes as if savoring the liquor's taste. If not for the slight throbbing of veins on his temples, one might have mistaken Lawrence for a truly heroic and remarkable individual.
If Li Xi were to see Lawrence now, he would surely give a thumbs up. This otherworldly alcohol, with a proof over eighty degrees, was something the old man dared to drink glass after glass without dying – a testament to his tough life!
Especially since the brewing process was immature. This, in his past life, would have been called bootleg liquor, devoid of quality, solely focused on high alcohol content. It was truly something that could kill a person. It wasn't Li Xi's fault; he simply didn't know the precise crafting process for high-proof spirits. He had told Avril everything he knew, and somehow, Avril had managed to concoct this potent brew that even seasoned warriors suffered headaches from.
"Good wine."
Finally suppressing the churning in his stomach with his qi, Lawrence opened his mouth, and it was as if a fiery dragon erupted. The mercenaries nearby, who couldn't afford such high-proof liquor, had to admit that the alcohol they had drunk before was mere horse urine, simply by smelling the fumes from Lawrence's breath. This spirit, capable of self-ignition at high temperatures, was the true pursuit of men.
"You have great skill, sir."
"You are a true hero, a mighty warrior, sir."
Amidst a chorus of flattery, Lawrence puffed up with pride, though the sensation of being hit on the head with a few clubs was still unpleasant.
*Clang*
The bell, which should have rung from atop the city gates, echoed within the underground cavern. In the enclosed space, the sound reverberated to every ant's nest.
Whether drinking, gambling, or boasting, all activities in the dim recesses ceased. Everyone turned their gaze towards the task board in the center. This bell, silent for years, only rang when an extremely important mission appeared – missions that could influence world affairs.
They all looked, anticipating a significant task. To their surprise, the mission to assassinate the princess had transformed before their very eyes.
Before:
"Mission: Assassinate Princess Fimor and Fielin
Time: 25 days passed / 1.5 months
Acceptance Condition: Has taken action
Reward: 30 gold coins to 10 million gold coins"
After:
"Mission: Assassinate Princess Fimor and Fielin
Time: 25 days passed / 1.5 months
Acceptance Condition: Kill everyone inside and outside the ancient castle
Reward: Ordinary Level 3 Mercenary, 500 gold coins per life; Level 4, 2000; Level 5, 20,000. Entering the castle walls, 1000 gold coins. Killing any guard within the walls, 50,000 gold coins. Entering the castle, 100,000 gold coins. Killing anyone inside the castle, 200,000 gold coins. Bruce, Elisa, Ivan, 250,000 gold coins each. Galidos, 500,000 gold coins. Killing a spellcaster will yield three times the reward of an equivalent-level professional. Any condition met to kill either princess will be fulfilled."
Upon reading the new mission details, everyone's eyes widened, and silence fell, each looking like a toad that had just witnessed a princess bathing.
Inside, their minds were a tempest of change. Previously, taking action earned a reward; now, one had to kill to get paid. This meant an unending blood feud with the two princesses!
And the bounty was so high; the mastermind clearly wanted the princesses dead.
If either princess met misfortune, the entire empire would descend into a bloodbath. The emperor lay on his sickbed, but a wounded tiger was still a tiger. Who would dare kill his children?
But what did this have to do with them earning their bounty?
At worst, they wouldn't kill the princesses. Just entering the castle grounds offered a 100,000 gold coin reward, enough to squander for a lifetime. Even killing A-rank mercenaries like Bruce would yield unimaginable wealth. Such a generous employer was a once-in-a-lifetime encounter.
Thus, within moments of understanding the mission, the mercenaries of the dark world in the cavern erupted, almost all accepting the task. For gold, they would sell their souls to the devil; killing a few people was nothing, wasn't that their usual life?
However, no mercenary dared to try and kill the princesses. It seemed that eyes blinded by gold still retained a shred of reason.
The guards outside the castle numbered less than fifteen hundred. Each was worth at least 500 gold coins; Level 3s were 500, Level 4s were 5000, and Level 5s were 20,000. They were practically walking mountains of gold.
Breaching the defenses and jumping inside the walls also offered payment. No one doubted their own ability; jumping in was worth 1000 gold coins, simpler than breathing. Such easy money was unheard of.
Many thought, "I won't kill the princesses or the guards. I'll just slip in and out. How simple is that?"
Lawrence, a leader of information, did not accept the mission. He didn't need to undertake such dangerous tasks anymore. Sitting aside, he watched with cold amusement as the mercenaries rushed to accept the missions, a sneer curling his lips.
At his status and age, he knew secrets beyond ordinary people's comprehension and understood that human desires were boundless. The mission issuer had set the bounty for the simplest task – entering the walls – at a staggering 1000 gold coins, precisely to entice the deepest desires and darkness within everyone.
The manpower of fifteen hundred from three mercenary groups, even hand-in-hand, couldn't encircle the ancient castle. Finding a gap and easily scaling the less than ten-meter-high walls was simple. Thus, this 1000 gold was the easiest to earn.
As a majority earned this 1000 gold, it meant more people would enter the castle grounds. With more people, courage grew. Killing guards within the walls offered 50,000 gold coins, so why not try?
If the walls could be breached through trickery, why not the castle itself? Entering meant 100,000 gold coins. Ten thousand! Piled up, it looked like a mountain of gold. As long as enough people breached the walls, many would pursue this 100,000 gold.
As for the assassination of the princesses, Lawrence clearly saw the mastermind's sinister smile on the faces of every mercenary discussing how to enter the walls and the castle.
These mercenaries of the dark world were merely expendable tools to drain the castle's defenses. The princess assassination, naturally, would be handled by specialized and reliable individuals.
With all personnel inside and outside the castle occupied, sending just a few extremely powerful individuals would leave the two princesses, with only Level 4 strength, at their mercy.
A burly man with a bare, scarred chest chugged a barrel of ale, then slammed it onto the ground. As the wooden barrel splintered, his roaring laughter and a massive axe, large enough to serve as a dwarf's door, erupted. "Brothers, tonight we charge into the castle and earn 100,000 each! Let's see if the boss has that much money."
"Hahahahahaha!"
"Let's go, 100,000 per person!"
With a surge, people flowed outwards. In moments, the underground world became considerably emptier. Greed moved hearts, and Lawrence knew tonight would be a bloody one.
...
At this time, Li Xi had arranged the snacks on the rooftop. This was because he discovered Princess Fielin, a young princess, had a small flaw: acrophobia.
As a Level 4 priest, she possessed countless magical equipment but dared not ascend to high places. Thus, the rooftop was where Li Xi spent the most time, and the quietest place.
Fielin had also commandeered Li Xi's room, defiantly denying him a place to sleep.
For five days, Li Xi had no opportunity to act and spent every night on the rooftop, a truly desolate existence. The only comfort was that the elder princess seemed to tacitly approve of Li Xi's actions. As long as he didn't touch Fielin, anything else was permissible.
The attendants treated Li Xi with politeness. Even when he made somewhat excessive or outrageous requests, they were accommodated. This was a treatment Galidos and the others did not receive. Li Xi sometimes felt the elder princess thought this way: always ensure a certain distance between himself and Fielin, even when they were alone together, they had to be under the supervision of the attendants, like strict parents forbidding their children from dating.
Time passed with Fielin throwing tantrums in Li Xi's room. It was around nine o'clock that evening. Everyone inside and outside the ancient castle still believed today would be like any other day, with some friendly sparring, and then everyone would return to their homes.
Even Galidos and the others, whom Li Xi could see, were relaxed and chatting cheerfully. But Li Xi's brow was furrowed. He sensed something different. The air held a tension, a precursor to a great battle.
His Sharingan eyes opened, the six tomoe within them rotating slightly. Li Xi stood up and scanned the castle grounds within the walls. He could see the flowing energy in the air and instantly spotted a blurry figure leaping over the wall, rapidly approaching the castle.
Li Xi had once fought Night Walkers, professionals who could jump through shadows. He had also witnessed the stealth abilities of Demon Hunters who hid within space, like Galidos. But this infiltrator, seemingly merged with the darkness under the moonlight, possessed characteristics entirely different from Night Walkers or Demon Hunters. It was as if he belonged to the darkness itself.
Li Xi carefully scanned his surroundings again. No other infiltrators were detected so far. This meant the infiltrator was alone.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
Li Xi's figure vanished from the rooftop.
Aaron was a renowned infiltrator in the dark world. With one-third of his bloodline from the dark elves, he was like a favored child of the night. This innate affinity for darkness was something cultivation could not replicate. With this near-flawless stealth technique, countless people had met their end in their sleep.
Upon seeing the changes in the princess assassination mission, Aaron saw an opportunity. He accepted the mission immediately, not waiting for others. Confident in his abilities, he was the first to infiltrate the castle walls. Taking advantage of the relaxed defenses, infiltrating the castle at this time was the easiest. If he had waited for the main force to arrive, Aaron would have said those people's skills were too crude; they would only slow him down.
The fifteen hundred mercenaries outside were no different from fifteen hundred pigs in his eyes. If it weren't for the 100,000 gold coins for entering the castle, he could have dealt with dozens of mercenaries alone.
As expected, he easily bypassed the defenses and reached the foot of the wall. His steps were silent, and the breeze he stirred was negligible.
After leaping over the wall, he had a moment of concern about magical barriers, but it was unfounded. There was nothing. Not even a hunting dog.
Watching Galidos and the others chatting and laughing, Aaron was contemptuous. What was the use of high levels? What did S-rank and A-rank matter? He could walk right up to them, and they wouldn't detect him.
He looked at the castle gate not far away. It wasn't just a gate; it was a beautiful life forged from 100,000 gold coins, beckoning him.
But just as Aaron's lips curved into a smile, a voice that felt like falling into an abyss echoed in his ear:
"Brother, our door should not be broken. Then why did you enter without knocking?"
Aaron's heart skipped a beat. He quietly stopped, his neck stiffly turning. He couldn't believe someone could see through his invisibility.
Seeing a figure suddenly appear beside him, staring directly at him, Aaron knew he was exposed. Just as he was about to flee, he felt this person was familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before. Especially those eyes, why were they so strange? What were those small, curved dots inside?
Merely by making eye contact with Li Xi's Sharingan,
Aaron found the sky suddenly darken, devoid of stars.
Why had the moon suddenly turned red?