“Sister Rona isn't dead! She must still be alive in those ruins!” Luo Youyou waved her fists excitedly, her cat tail standing straight up.
“Where is your proof?” Elvia set down her bowl and pressed calmly. “You can't expect us to just take your word for it.”
These words were like a needle, instantly deflating Luo Youyou's momentum.
She choked up all of a sudden, her mouth opening and closing without a sound.
After a long silence, she lowered her head dejectedly, her large cat ears drooping limply as her voice turned quiet.
“I... I don't have any proof...”
She rubbed her reddened eyes, trying hard to recall.
“About a month ago, the shockwaves from that great battle deep in the rift reached our temporary camp.”
“Taking advantage of the demons' distracted attention, Sister Rona wanted to lead our entire group out of the rift.”
“But on the way back, we discovered an exposed, high-purity magic crystal vein in a collapsed mining tunnel.”
A gleam of light flashed in Luo Youyou's eyes.
“Sister Rona deduced that the aftershocks of the Demon Lord's battle had shattered some rock layers, exposing an otherwise hidden passage.”
“You might not know this, but during the Golden Age, the Withered Rift was famous for harboring countless treasures and ancient ruins!”
“Sister Rona's ancestors made their fortune by exploring the rift's ruins, so she's very familiar with its history and legends.”
Her tone carried a hint of anxiety and helplessness.
“Sister Rona is a Mid-tier Transcendent swordswoman. She's already forty-five this year... Her physical functions have long passed their peak, and simple, diligent cultivation yields negligible results.”
“If she can't make another breakthrough, her strength will probably remain stagnant here forever.”
“So... she decided to take a risk and enter that newly revealed secret passage to search for ancient treasures or heritages that might help her break through.”
“To minimize the target size and avoid any demons along the way, she had the rest of the group evacuate the rift first as planned.”
“She only took Vice Leader Catherine, who is skilled in concealment magic, with her. They agreed that no matter the outcome, they would meet up within ten days...”
Luo Youyou's voice began to choke up, but it was quickly replaced by a surge of intense anger.
“But in the end... only Catherine came back!”
“She brought back Sister Rona's supposedly broken sword and a piece of bloodstained, tattered leather armor, telling everyone... that Sister Rona had sacrificed herself to draw away a suddenly awakened ancient guardian to cover her retreat...”
“That's an absolute lie!”
Luo Youyou snapped her head up, fire practically spitting from her eyes. Her cat tail puffed up, and her sharp claws slid out uncontrollably.
“That woman, Catherine! She has always done everything in her power to hinder Sister Rona!”
“Sister Rona wanted to lead the Dreamweaver group to forge a new Golden Route and head to the Royal Capital for development, seeking greater opportunities.”
“But Catherine refused! She couldn't bear to part with her meager status and influence in Caran City, and even less so with the male gigolos she kept in Caran!”
“She only wanted to lord it over her own tiny patch of land in Caran!”
“It must have been her! She must have stabbed Sister Rona in the back inside the ruins!”
The more Luo Youyou spoke, the angrier she became, her pointed cat ears twitching with excitement.
She kept cursing those “ungrateful” and “heartless” bastards in the group.
“After that, I wanted to sneak back and search on my own, but they stopped me!”
“Those ungrateful wretches! If it weren't for Sister Rona's kindness in taking them in and teaching them, they would have been eaten alive by those cutthroats in the Adventurer's Guild long ago!”
Even after Luo Youyou finished venting, her chest was still heaving violently.
Only then did Elvia calmly ask, “So, you came to us? What's your price?”
Luo Youyou took a deep breath. As if making up her mind, she untied a heavy-looking small pouch from her waist and placed it on the ground.
“I can pay 1,250 gold coins, and... my personal ownership.”
With that, she actually pulled a collar with a dull metallic sheen out of the pouch.
It was the notorious slave collar, the kind that was almost impossible to remove once put on.
Kneeling on the ground, her voice carried a desperate plea.
“I beg of you... at least, at least let me confirm with my own eyes whether Sister Rona is alive or dead...”
1,250 gold coins, plus a Mid-tier High Rank catgirl demi-human.
Elvia looked at Lin Gui, analyzing the situation in a flat tone.
“Deviating from the safe Golden Route to venture deep into unknown, dangerous ruins carries immense risk.”
“Personally, I don't recommend taking this commission.”
“Besides, we've only just met her. Who knows if this catgirl is lying?”
“For all we know, this could be a play orchestrated by the Dreamweaver group to lure us out and rob us.”
Kneeling on the ground, Luo Youyou didn't get angry at Elvia's sharp suspicion. She only lowered her head even further.
She knew that in the world of adventurers, such caution and suspicion were the norm.
Indeed, under normal circumstances, Lin Gui would never accept an outdoor commission that clearly deviated from their route and was fraught with unknown risks.
But...
Looking at the 【Special Commission】 prompt on the system panel in his field of vision, he asked silently in his mind:
“System, if the target of the commission, Rona, is already dead, what will happen to this commission?”
【Ding! The system automatically scans the status of the target. Once it is confirmed that the target has lost life functions, the corresponding commission will automatically expire and be taken down.】
Lin Gui's eyes flickered slightly.
In other words, Rona was indeed still alive.
【Correct.】
Since that was the case...
Lin Gui looked at Luo Youyou kneeling on the ground and said, “Alright, I'll help you.”
These simple words stunned Theia, Elvia, and even Luo Youyou kneeling on the ground.
None of them had expected Lin Gui to agree so readily.
Silencing Elvia, who was about to speak up to dissuade him, Lin Gui added to the astonished Luo Youyou:
“However, this help is limited to my personal action.”
Luo Youyou froze, her cat ears twitching in confusion. “But... but you're only a Low-tier High Rank Mage...”
The corner of Lin Gui's mouth curved up in an imperceptible arc as he shook the staff in his hand.
“By the time we find your sister, I might just be a Mid-tier High Rank Mage.”
He stood up, gripped his staff, and said to Theia and Elvia:
“I'll handle this alone. Since I was the one who agreed to it, I'll bear the risks and rewards by myself.”
He bent down, picked up the bag of gold coins from the ground, weighed it in his hand, and stuffed it into the pocket of his mage robe.
As for the cold slave collar, he gently kicked it into the gap of a nearby wooden crate with the tip of his toe.
“I'll take the money, but forget about the catgirl.”
“I have no interest in dragging a catgirl into a fiery pit.”
“Wait!” Elvia quickly stepped forward to block him. “Are you really planning on going alone?!”
Lin Gui blinked, nodding as if it were obvious. “Yeah. Since I agreed to it personally, I naturally bear the risks and rewards alone.”
“But! But!” Elvia was so angry she was practically jumping. “Who the hell cares about your life! I mean, if you die, I'll also drop dead from the poison!”
“Uh...” Lin Gui was momentarily at a loss for words. He really had almost forgotten that he had infected Elvia with the Demon's Poisonous Kiss.
Seeing this, a glimmer of anticipation flashed in Elvia's eyes as she asked tentatively, “How about... you cure my poison before you leave?”
“That's impossible,” Lin Gui replied resolutely.
“.......”
“Then take me with you.”
At this moment, Theia also stepped forward, offering Lin Gui a gentle smile.
“Let's all go together, Lin Gui.”
“Though I don't understand why you accepted this commission, I won't let you face danger alone.”
Her crimson eyes were filled with sincerity.
“We are friends, aren't we?”
“Back in Caran, when I was thrown into prison, you came to rescue me too.”
Lin Gui defended himself subconsciously, “I was only caught by them by accident...”
Tilting her head, Theia pressed with a mischievous smile, “Then if you had the chance, knowing I was in danger, would you come to save me?”
“Of course I would,” Lin Gui replied very bluntly.
But he paused, then added seriously, “Provided it's not so dangerous that it directly threatens my life.”
Hearing this, the smile on Theia's face instantly blossomed, like an udumbara flower blooming in the dark, breathtakingly beautiful.
“That's good enough.”
“Is that really okay? This commission doesn't have any actual benefit for you guys,” Lin Gui asked hesitantly.
Theia pointed at the bag of gold coins Lin Gui had stuffed into his pocket, her smile like a blooming flower:
“Isn't it right there? Over a thousand gold coins! How many ordinary commissions would I have to do to earn that much!”
Rate on N.U.
