"Are you sure you won't reconsider? Besides the conditions proposed by Dick, we can guarantee Mr. Li Xi will be directly appointed as Bishop upon joining the church, and promoted to Archbishop within three years. With certain contributions, even Cardinal is attainable." Angelina's offer was undeniably generous and demonstrated great importance. An immediate Bishop position was akin to the authority of a city lord or a viscount's rank. Further promotions were already outlined, presenting the most considerate and top-tier advancement path. They were clearly willing to spare no expense to win Li Xi over.
Especially the position of Archbishop, which granted status equal to that of a Count.
Li Xi couldn't deny he was momentarily tempted. Becoming an Archbishop would secure endless wealth for him and his descendants for generations. However, he knew that for the amount they were willing to offer, they would expect at least ten or a hundred times more in return. But what did he have?
Nothing but the system.
"Thank you for your trust and favor, Archdeacon. But I truly do not wish to join any organization. I am merely a devout believer, unable to serve any deity."
Despite Li Xi's repeated refusals, Angelina showed no change in her expression. She simply stated regretfully, "Since Mr. Li Xi truly does not wish to join, we will not force the matter. However, the Magic Temple will always keep its doors open for Mr. Li Xi. You may enter anytime you need assistance, and my offer will remain unchanged."
"Thank you, Archdeacon."
After exchanging pleasantries, Li Xi blinked at the two people before him, subtly implying they could leave as there was no food to entertain them.
"Mr. Li Xi mentioned earlier that he only wishes to be a mercenary. We happen to have a suitable mission for you, an A-rank task. Is there a possibility of cooperation?" Angelina produced a scroll from her spatial ring and dangled it, Li Xi's eyes following its sway.
A-rank. Li Xi had never undertaken such a high-level mission before.
"We recognize Mr. Li Xi's strength, and thus wish to reach an agreement with you. Moving forward, when the Magic Temple encounters difficult problems, we can post them through the Mercenary Guild as missions, and Mr. Li Xi can then decide whether to accept them. I believe this mutually beneficial arrangement will be acceptable to Mr. Li Xi, won't it?"
If he didn't have to join their organization and a mission was delivered to his doorstep, Li Xi would naturally agree. The rank of the mission was tied to his strength. Even if they had ill intentions and offered poisoned bait, Li Xi would accept. "Of course. As long as it is within my capabilities, I am happy to serve."
Angelina smiled and unrolled the scroll. "This is a mission concerning a Demon Devourer. We have already lost five senior mages in dealing with them, so we would like to ask for Mr. Li Xi's assistance."
A creature with no limbs and a large head flashed through Li Xi's mind: the Demon Devourer. They were an endangered species in the Abyss, and due to their weak inherent strength, they struggled to survive in such a perilous environment.
However, with a physique not much stronger than a goblin's, the Demon Devourer possessed a heaven-defying ability: magic nullification and a devouring constitution. Any energy-based magic was harmless to them, and they would grow by consuming magical energy, making them the bane of spellcasters.
But in the Abyss, all demons practiced both body and magic cultivation. For the Demon Devourer, the Abyss was truly their doom. Survival in the Abyss was incredibly difficult. Compared to the harshness of the Abyss, the main world was a paradise for Demon Devourers.
"Archdeacon, while Demon Devourers are effective against mages, they are not entirely invincible. To my knowledge, materialized magic can kill them. Why is the mission ranked as high as A-rank? If their evolution is not advanced, a battlemage should be sufficient to handle them."
"Consider it a token of our sincerity towards Mr. Li Xi and compensation for Dick's previous discourtesy." Angelina directly admitted they had ways to kill Demon Devourers, but they wanted to present this as a gift to Li Xi. The Magic Temple, with its vast wealth, could afford to post a C-rank mission as an A-rank one. There was nothing Li Xi could do about it.
Li Xi accepted the scroll with a hint of doubt. A Demon Devourer was less threatening to him than a Horned Demon. Since it was their gesture of goodwill, Li Xi stopped pressing the matter.
"I wish Mr. Li Xi success in his endeavors."
Angelina led Dick away. That evening, after discussing with the two women, Li Xi still couldn't quite fathom Angelina's intentions. However, it would be too much of a pity to miss such a good opportunity.
The next day, Li Xi set off for the mission location. He left at an indeterminate time, took an unpredictable route, and constantly used transformation techniques to alter his appearance, ensuring no one could recognize him. Cautiously, he arrived at the mission site. A single Raging Thunder Palm strike, before the Demon Devourer could react, ended its life. Li Xi changed his appearance multiple times and returned to Cado City.
After submitting the mission and receiving two lottery chances, Li Xi still found it hard to believe an A-rank mission could be completed so easily.
"Congratulations, Master. You have obtained the Rasengan."
The signature technique of Naruto, the protagonist, and the most basic of the Rasengan family. Building a great empire starts from the ground up, and glory is built on a small Rasengan. Highly condensed chakra, capable of inflicting immense destructive power.
"Congratulations, Master. You have obtained the Dark Illusion Jutsu."
This was Li Xi's nominal first illusionary technique, capable of completely sealing the opponent's vision. Legend had it that Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage, invented this ninjutsu specifically targeting the Sharingan.
Hmm, upon reflection, the ninjutsu invented by Tobirama Senju seemed to be designed with the Uchiha clan as the imaginary enemy. The Flying Thunder God Technique countered the Sharingan's keen perception, and the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu was also used to deceive the Sharingan. Although the Sharingan could perceive chakra flow, it couldn't distinguish the real body from the shadow clones.
The Dark Illusion Jutsu completely sealed the Uchiha clan's Sharingan, nullifying their greatest advantage. The Mutual Multiplication Combination Technique also proved useless against continuous attacks. How much hatred did the Second Hokage have for the Uchiha clan!
Just as Li Xi was appreciating the ninjutsu he had drawn, in a secret chamber in the rear of the Magic Temple, Angelina and Dick were extracting a crystal from the charred head of the Demon Devourer.
Angelina waved her hand, and a spell was cast into the crystal. It projected a scene of Li Xi killing the Demon Devourer within the room.
The entire video was brief, lasting only a breath. It showed Li Xi discovering the Demon Devourer, his hands moving in a blur, then a lightning strike suddenly appearing in his palm, followed by a strike against the Demon Devourer with inhuman speed.
The scene ended there. After watching it, Angelina could discern nothing. She played the second time, still seeing nothing. She watched it repeatedly for over ten times, then rubbed her throbbing temples and asked Dick beside her, "Did you clearly see how Li Xi cast that spell?"
Dick's eyes were bloodshot, as if his eyeballs were about to fall out. This was due to prolonged staring. However, even with magical augmentation of his vision, he still couldn't see how Li Xi unleashed the lightning. "Reporting to my lady, I am ashamed to say I did not see clearly."
"Then find him another mission. You don't need me to teach you such things." Angelina, after watching it over ten times and gaining no insight, was extremely frustrated. She, a dignified Archbishop and Archmage, had to stoop to negotiate with a mere mercenary. This was an insult to her status. Once she figured out the reason for Li Xi's rapid casting, his disappearance would be imminent.
Dick hesitated, then voiced the question in his heart, "My lady, since he doesn't wish to join us, why not simply kill him and eliminate future trouble..."
"Instead of spending a large sum of gold for him to undertake missions?" Angelina's lips curved into a smile.
But in the next moment, Angelina's face turned cold, and she berated Dick severely, "Idiot! We need to extract his secret before killing him. He's an insignificant being, a worthless life, but the rapid casting skill he possesses is what we lack. Until we understand how he casts spells, he cannot die."
"Get out and do your work. Don't question my decisions with your swine brain."
Angelina had her own unspoken troubles. She had been stuck at the Archmage realm for over twenty years, with no sign of improvement. Recently, her power had even begun to decline. If this situation wasn't rectified, within five years, she would drop back to the Mage level. A Mage could not hold the position of Archbishop, and such a life was unimaginable for Angelina. Having lived a life among the heavens, who would want to fall into the mud and associate with earthworms?
Dick covered his face and retreated. No one knew that this Archdeacon, who appeared selfless, loyal, and dedicated to the church in public, was a short-tempered old woman with rampant desires in private, keeping dozens of male companions.
...
Li Xi looked at the mission scroll in his hand and at the smiling Dick before him, utterly confused about the Magic Temple's intentions. Was it truly to show him goodwill? But hadn't they already done so last time?
"B-rank mission: Tack Village has suffered from drought for many years and requires a water-elemental spellcaster to acquire sufficient water sources for the village."
This mission was tailor-made for Li Xi. The scroll danced in Li Xi's hands. He asked bewilderedly, "Bishop Dick, are you sure this B-rank mission is for me?"
Li Xi confirmed it multiple times. The mission seemed highly targeted. In the eyes of ordinary informants, he was known as a mage highly proficient in water magic. Furthermore, a mission that didn't even require combat could be completed by any mage in the Magic Temple. Wasn't this like a greengrocer buying vegetables from another stall?
"Haha, Mr. Li Xi, please rest assured and undertake it. The previous mission was Archdeacon Angelina's apology. This one is me using my personal savings to atone for my mistakes with Mr. Li Xi," Dick said with a smile on his face, but inwardly cursing incessantly. The commission for this mission was indeed from his own private funds.
This was because the reimbursed expenses were taken by Angelina to support her male companions.
"Thank you again for your kindness, Bishop. I will humbly accept."
Regardless of any hidden motives, Li Xi bid farewell to the two ladies. Five days later, he returned, dusty and weary.
After submitting proof of mission completion, the B-rank mission had been completed five times. With five more completions, he would be promoted to A-rank mercenary.
Therefore, no matter what the Magic Temple's current intentions were, Li Xi hoped their schemes would become even more aggressive. Facing absolute strength, any scheme would be his nourishment. If they could directly elevate him to S-rank, Li Xi would be grateful to them for eighteen generations.
"Congratulations, Master. You have obtained the Great Ball Rasengan."
This was an advanced version of the "little ball" (Rasengan), quite excellent. A meter in diameter, it was a high-level close-range ninjutsu. Anyone hit directly would be in serious trouble. Against large life forms, this was definitely sufficient.
The ninjutsu granted by the system naturally wouldn't require Li Xi to use shadow clones to gather and spin for a long time to create a Rasengan, like Naruto. He could instantly form it with one hand. After all, the Rasengan itself was a high-level ninjutsu that didn't require hand seals.
Both the small and great Rasengan could be formed with one hand, and their casting speed was dozens of times faster than Raging Thunder Palm.
"Does our merchant guild have any missions for me? Charity begins at home. With a master like me, any mission can be completed with 100% certainty." Looking at the B-rank mercenary mission requirements, which were already half-completed, Li Xi's interest was piqued again.
From his multiple mission experiences, Li Xi had concluded that higher-level missions increasingly required the support of major powers. Without a certain level of influence, it was difficult to even post a mission above C-rank, let alone A-rank or S-rank. Apart from the ancient, unchanging tasks on the mission board that had remained unchanged for centuries, new high-level missions were directly handled privately by powers like the Magic Temple, never appearing publicly on the mission board. Only fools would do that.
Li Xi lacked such deep-rooted, major powers, but the Konoha Merchant Guild was now a dominant force in Cado City. Li Xi figured he could at least secure a few missions from his own guild.
Avril pondered for a moment, her eyes rolling. "A part of an order from a certain princess we've taken can be dispatched now. The journey is long, and the weapons are expensive. It's precisely the kind of situation that requires a master to oversee it."
Then, she looked at Li Xi with a mischievous smile. "My man, will you accept this mission? If you do, we can post a B-rank mission for you to boost your rank."
Li Xi bolted. Any mission would do, just not one to Eisinger. In recent days, Li Xi had gathered information about the Magic Guild. Just as Avril had guessed, the Magic Guild was indeed using Filins as a bargaining chip to win him over. While Li Xi was proud of his achievements today, he also felt a cowardly retreat.
At his core, Li Xi was still a commoner. As long as he and his family lived happily, it was best to avoid troublesome matters.
Unfortunately, fate is often ironic. Despite Li Xi's attempts to evade it, trouble found him.