Adrian left, taking all the attackers with him, and even the stunned baselisk was awakened by Adrian and taken away.
"We won."
Watching the dejected attackers retreat, Gallidos cheered loudly from the wall. To achieve victory against the odds, completely outmatched, was indeed worth cheering, celebrating, and shouting about!
"We won!"
"We won!"
Many laughed until they cried. Ever since becoming mercenaries, they had rarely experienced battles of this magnitude. Who cherishes peace the most? Soldiers. Who desires safety above all else? Mercenaries!
As they shouted, they saw Li Xi standing with his hands behind his back.
"Lord Li Xi, you were amazing."
"Li Xi."
"Legend."
"Li Xi."
"Legend."
…
Everyone shouted Li Xi's name. In their eyes, there was only admiration as they looked at him, seeing him as their past dreams, their past goals. Li Xi was their walking idol. They couldn't recall any mercenary more formidable than Li Xi in this era. To single-handedly defeat a peak seventh-level double-headed golden dragon, along with over a thousand professionals, Li Xi's legendary mercenary status was well-deserved.
Especially today, if it weren't for Li Xi, more than half of them would have died. Li Xi had saved all their lives, a debt of gratitude that could never be repaid enough.
Li Xi didn't linger in such a setting. He didn't deliver any post-battle speeches, as that was the role of the three mercenary group leaders. He couldn't steal their thunder.
Besides, being praised so much in person made Li Xi a bit nervous. Even in his previous life on Earth, his proudest moment was being the only one in math class to solve the most difficult problem and being praised by the teacher. That alone had kept him grinning for three days. Now, with so many people praising him, Li Xi felt goosebumps and feared he might float away if he listened any longer. He only left a few shadow clones to rescue the injured mercenaries, and his main body returned to the roof of the ancient castle.
Sun Er'dai stood bored in front of Philin. He had expected to show off today but only managed one move throughout the entire engagement.
In contrast, Philin's small face flushed with excitement when she saw Li Xi return. "Brother Xi, you're so amazing. I admire you the most."
"The mission is my duty. This is what I should do." After dispersing Sun Er'dai's transmigration technique, Li Xi dared not be overly affectionate with Philin. He feared that even a simple smile from him would be misinterpreted by her. A love-addled mind couldn't be understood with normal logic. Sudan Novel Network.
"Mr. Li Xi, the Grand Princess requests your presence." A servant appeared at a crucial moment and summoned Li Xi. Philin's eyes darted around, and she followed.
Inside the study, Grand Princess Feimo was still in the same position, as if she hadn't moved since Li Xi first arrived. However, nearby stood a very old mage. Li Xi immediately recognized him as one of the two individuals mentioned by Yamatamara, but definitely not the one who made Yamatamara's heart palpitate. Although this mage was extraordinarily strong, he was not strong enough to instill a sense of despair akin to terror in a tailed beast.
"Mercenary Li Xi pays his respects to His Highness, the Grand Princess," Li Xi said, bowing.
Philin, on the other hand, ran directly to the Grand Princess. Their nearly identical appearances made them look like twins standing side by side.
"Sister."
Grand Princess Feimo seemed to ignore Philin's affectionate plea and the blatant affection in her eyes.
She spoke to Li Xi in a low voice, "When you accepted the mission, I promised you that I would give you anything the national treasury possessed. Now that the mission is complete, tell me, what do you want?"
"Complete?" Li Xi seemed a bit confused. It was still five days away. "Your Highness, the time limit should be five more days."
Grand Princess Feimo glanced at Adler beside her, showing no hesitation. "This is the one who issued the mission. He has already assured me that the mission has been canceled, so your mission is complete."
Li Xi looked at the gray-robed old mage. Adler also gave Li Xi a benevolent smile. Li Xi was somewhat bewildered. He had never imagined a mission could be handled this way. The killer and the intended victim sat together to discuss when the mission would end. Indeed, city schemes run deep, and those in the city know how to play the game. He knew instinctively that the complexities here were deeper than the Mariana Trench.
However, Li Xi was naturally happy to finish the mission five days early and go home. He didn't care how they played their games; he was going home to his wife. "Your Highness, the Grand Princess, I need divine power crystals, as many as possible."
This was an A-rank mission, granting Li Xi two lucky draw opportunities. Combined with the Grand Princess's promise of any reward, Li Xi naturally chose the most difficult item for him: divine power crystals. These were hard for him to find, but for the human royal family, the most powerful faction in this world, they would surely have them, and in considerable quantities.
As expected, Grand Princess Feimo didn't hesitate at all, as if Li Xi were asking for common cabbage. She said generously, "No problem. I'll have them delivered tomorrow morning."
"Thank you, Your Highness, the Grand Princess."
Philin watched Li Xi, who was about to leave, and tugged on Feimo's arm, pleading, "Sister, no, no."
Feimo looked at Philin, who seemed forever young, and recalled Li Xi's heroic feat of kicking the golden dragon out of the sky with two kicks. She, who had never opposed Philin pursuing Li Xi, hesitated for a moment. She lowered her gaze and said, "You... let me think about it."
"Sister..."
"Your Highnesses, since the matter is resolved, this old servant shall take his leave to report to my master." Adler, showing great foresight, excused himself.
"Go, and protect my brother. Perhaps next time, it will be I who appears before him."
Adler didn't argue. He merely smiled, bowed slightly, and said, "This old servant takes his leave."
With that, he tore through space and vanished without a trace.
Since the mission was over, Philin no longer needed to be closely guarded. Li Xi did not return to the room Philin had prepared for him. Instead, he went to where the three mercenary groups were and stayed with them, drinking around a bonfire until dawn.
Who drank the most at the bonfire party all night? Of course, it was Li Xi. The people lining up to toast him didn't finish until dawn. Many of the Red Rose Mercenary Corps girls, with professional levels of four or five, seemed to turn into soft-footed mermaids around Li Xi, pouncing on him whenever they got close, thus wasting precious time.
"Brother Xi, this is what you wanted."
The divine power crystals, the mission reward, were delivered by Philin. Li Xi took the crystals directly. In a specially made small bottle with a magical seal, half of it was filled with divine power crystals. Such a bottle, only the size of a thumb, holding half a bottle meant ten drops. This showed the Grand Princess Feimo's generosity.
Ten drops. This was the largest amount Li Xi had seen, aside from the divine power crystals he refined using vampire blood sacrifices in Cardo City. This would allow Li Xi to absorb a hundred drops of the Infernal Demon bloodline, or with a little more, he could be confident in absorbing the cells of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
Philin looked at Li Xi expectantly. Li Xi, however, looked at the divine power crystals and smiled so widely that his molars showed. He pretended to be oblivious to Philin's affection. "Brother Xi, when will you come back to see me?"
Li Xi put away the divine power crystals and said earnestly, "Princess Philin, your future husband is definitely not me. You are a noble daughter of heaven, and I am a petty mercenary from a small town. There is a huge innate gap in our statuses. We would not be happy."
"A canary cannot perch in mud, nor will a phoenix choose a crooked tree as its home."
Li Xi left, with Philin shouting behind him that she would never give up. Gallidos walked beside him, lamenting constantly. Gallidos knew he had deceived Li Xi many times regarding Philin's matter. He had even privately explained the whole story to Li Xi, fearing that Li Xi would resent him.
Li Xi stated that bygones were bygones and that there should be no next time, and they remained friends.
When Li Xi arrived at the Isengard Mercenary Guild with his mission completion certificate, as Gallidos accompanied him in, everyone, whether they were turning in missions, picking up missions, waiting for employers, or employers waiting for mercenaries, or the priests handling business, put down their work and respectfully saluted Li Xi with one hand on their shoulder.
In unison, they loudly declared, "Greetings, Mr. Li Xi."
For a moment, Li Xi stopped in his tracks, stunned. Gallidos explained with a smile, "Brother Li Xi, do you think the grand feat last night would simply pass by? How many years has it been since our mercenary ranks have seen someone as powerful as you? Since last night, every mercenary has taken pride in you; since last night, you have been the role model for all of us mercenaries; since last night, you have been our goal to strive for."
Looking at every pair of eyes that could melt ice, Li Xi suddenly felt a sense of pride. He finally understood a saying he had learned before: This is what a man is—daring to seek fame in danger, daring to pluck chestnuts from the fire. To be timid and oppressed by life is not a life!
All eyes were fixed on Li Xi like nails, hoping he would say something at this moment.
"Time will record everyone's efforts. I am with you all." After much deliberation, Li Xi could only muster such a vague, pseudo-philosophical statement. Public speaking on the spot was too difficult. After speaking, he fled upstairs with Gallidos as if escaping.
Leaving behind a group of mercenaries still savoring every move Li Xi had made. Among them, a young child led by an adult looked at Li Xi's fleeing figure and found it very amusing. He asked, "Father, who is this person? Why do you all salute him?"
His usually stern and serious father showed a rare smile. "He is a legend among mercenaries, a legend who defeated a dragon and fought two thousand professionals single-handedly."
The child's face turned red, and he clenched his fist, "I will definitely become someone like that in the future!"
…
Just as Li Xi was enjoying the immense glory in the mercenary hall, in a certain mysterious space, two indistinct figures were conversing.
"Help me kill someone."
"Who?"
"You know."
"What's in it for me?"
"I'll help you once when you are in trouble."
"Why don't you do it yourself?"
"My target is too conspicuous. No one wants to see me act, and I need your abilities."
"All right, I understand."
With that, the two figures disappeared, and the entire dark space fell silent.
…
After submitting the mission,
[Congratulations, Master, for obtaining two lucky draw opportunities.]
This brought Li Xi's B-rank mission progress to six times. He needed four more missions to advance to A-rank, or rather, two more A-rank missions to advance.
"I promised to discuss with Master Herme and the others at the Magic Guild after the mission ended. If you need anything in the future, send me a message or find me in Cardo City. I welcome you anytime."
"I will. I hope your level surpasses us old guys soon. I hope the mercenary ranks will be elevated because of you."
"I'll work hard."
"I look forward to you completing it soon."
On the floating island of the Magic Guild, Li Xi met Herme and Park, the two rotating councilors, again in less than a month.
Herme was as happy as a grandfather who had just received a grandson. "Congratulations, Mr. Li Xi, on your glorious victory. From today onwards, your name will surely echo across the continent."
"Master Herme is joking. I am still young, and such things are still far from me." Although Li Xi was humble, the smile on his face was brighter than summer flowers. Since last night, Li Xi seemed to have reached the pinnacle of his life. Everywhere he looked, he saw admiration and envy. This feeling was wonderful, more intoxicating than being drunk. Everything felt like a dream.
"It is precisely because Mr. Li Xi is young that the impact is even greater. You don't know how many people were woken up last night just to see your intel, or how many people were so envious that they couldn't sleep for days," Park, who shared the same name as Kakashi's summoning dog, also congratulated him.
"Masters, please don't flatter me. I came this time to discuss ninjutsu with you as promised. I can reveal the secret details of my ninjutsu, but I don't know how much you two masters will gain." Li Xi began by humbling himself. "I can reveal the secret details of my ninjutsu to you, but I don't know how much you two masters will gain."
Herme and Park exchanged glances. Their eyes were filled with irrepressible excitement. Li Xi actually dared to reveal all the secrets. This was something they had never expected. They knew how much effort they had put in for this day, but the outcome was good.
Li Xi chuckled inwardly as he looked at their expressions. What if he revealed everything? During the mission to protect the princess, Li Xi wasn't sleeping soundly during the day. With the extensive collection of books provided by the two princesses, Li Xi had greatly replenished his scarce knowledge. He also knew that there was no such thing as chakra energy in this world. Therefore, even if Li Xi taught them ninjutsu hand-in-hand now, no one would be able to learn it. So, by revealing all the key secrets of releasing ninjutsu, even if it was only superficial knowledge, what harm could it do to him?
On the contrary, it might even be beneficial. After all, he was now seen as a juicy target by many. By revealing all these secrets today, at least he would transform from a plump target in others' eyes to a shrunken piece of cured meat. At least the gaze of mosquitoes trying to suck him dry would be dispersed by half.