Chapter 10: Enlightnment is this Easy?!
Any could swear that she could replicate that feeling at any moment, but even after several attempts, she still couldn’t grasp it.
Frowning, she slowly opened her eyes and looked in the direction of the receptionist desk. "This must be related to this room, or else..."
Any couldn’t think of anything else. She knew her talent wasn’t anything extraordinary, and that feeling just now could only mean it was related to that thing she had always heard about in stories describing legends of past heroes.
Enlightenment!
Any’s breathing quickened. Upon reaching such a thought, she didn’t dare continue and quickly suppressed the impulse. ’If this is real, then this place is by no means simple.’ With that thought, her mind drifted into various scenarios.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Darius was totally unaware of what was happening in the cultivation room; his full attention was placed on the reward system and various other things.
Tsk...
He was tense, waiting for the first customer to leave so he could check his rewards. It wasn’t that he was lazy about his work, but rather curious about what kind of rewards the system would give, especially for such a record.
Click! Click!
As Darius drifted in his thoughts about what kind of reward he would receive, he heard a click followed by another before footsteps echoed from the cultivation room at the far end on his left.
He suddenly froze, his eyes almost failing to believe the scene before him. The moment he looked at Any, he found her already a meter away from his desk, kneeling on one leg, her hair touching the ground as she gazed at him with fervent eyes.
"Did you f—"
Before he could even finish his words, Any spoke, "Pavilion Master, that cultivation room, can I rent it for the month? I’ll pay upfront."
Darius was about to shake his head, but the moment Any noticed that slight movement in his neck, her expression turned ugly before she continued, "I’ll do whatever quest you wish for me and even clean the Pavilion for you."
Darius was momentarily lost for words. He suddenly felt that this scene resembled the Chinese cultivation novels he once read. When a person found a supreme treasure but was unable to get their hands on it, they would even enslave themselves to obtain it.
He wasn’t clueless. He knew the woman’s actions right now were related to the cultivation room, but he had no idea of its features other than the increased speed of cultivation.
Puzzled, he could only ask the system.
’System, is there something you didn’t tell me about the cultivation room features?’
[Host jests, it’s just that you never asked for more details.]
Hearing the reply, Darius almost cursed aloud before controlling his emotions. He then kindly asked, his face subtly twitching, though he kept it in check so as not to raise any suspicion toward his first customer.
’Elaborate, please.’
[The Cultivation Room has several features and not merely an increase in cultivation speed. Host, if you are going to be the master of the strongest Pavilion that sells all kinds of services, your vision shouldn’t be so limited.]
At this point, Darius was used to the system’s poisonous tongue and didn’t want to argue with it, so he just patiently absorbed the information.
[The cultivation room at its first grade gives double the cultivation speed and also a wisp of enlightenment. In fact, if you go to any pavilion in the seven earths and realms, you will never find such a feature in any of their services.]
Darius ignored the system’s bragging as he focused solely on the word "Enlightenment."
He had his fair share of knowledge about cultivation and knew of it, although he didn’t know how it felt or what kind of benefits it gave across different realms. He did know one thing for sure...
It was something that all sorts of powerful people, no matter the novels he read, sought to achieve.
Finally grasping the situation, he felt a bit of pity for the woman kneeling on one knee in front of his desk. He understood where she was coming from. As for her demands, however...
’System, can it happen? That’s a lot of money after all.’ Darius felt his mouth water for a moment as he thought about the insane amount of money he would receive from such a deal, but soon, all of his dreams were extinguished within moments.
[The system rules never change. Only one hour per day, with no ability to cultivate for more than three consecutive days without taking a quest and completing it with at least a B+ rating.]
Darius felt his heart sting for a moment. All the money he had just envisioned vanished like smoke as he came back to reality.
’Not even one full day?’ He didn’t give up and hoped for a yes—a bit of compromise from the system.
[Host, you are the Master of the strongest Pavilion that will control the myriad realms. If financial considerations influence your rules and emotions, what kind of pavilion will you be running? If you compromise today, what will happen when a powerful individual gives you an even better offer? Would you even sell your desk and position at that point?]
[The system rules are absolute, and no compromise stands at the top of that list.]
Darius felt that the system was indeed reasonable and that his greed had gotten the better of him. Never having been someone who had seen much wealth or strength to begin with, the slightest lucrative offer easily swayed his emotions.
Placing those thoughts at the back of his mind, he finally regained his focus on the matter at hand.
On the side, Any was waiting for a response, unaware that the one she had just addressed as "Pavilion Master" had no idea that his cultivation room had such effects.
While the conversation seemed rather long, in reality, only a few moments had passed since Darius began conversing with the system, which was why Any didn’t seem displeased or impatient.
Ehm...
Clearing his throat, Any’s entire body tensed upon hearing it.
"The rules are the rules, one hour per day for three consecutive days. Complete one quest every three days with an evaluation of B+ to gain continued access to the room, or else you will be barred from it until then." Darius felt his heart bleed as he said these words, but knowing what the future held, he steeled his resolve and spoke in a calm tone.
The moment he finished his words, Darius felt his body grow hotter by the second, his clothes quickly drenched in sweat. Before he could figure out the reason for such a sudden change, Any spoke.
"You do realise... a room like that isn’t something you can keep without strength... right?"
