Chapter 38: Oliver and David
At his slight excitement, Darius bitterly smiled inwardly and was about to outright refuse when a sudden system notification echoed in his mind.
"Ding! Host, the pavilion accepts all kinds of missions. Assassinations are included. Even joining wars with the purpose of eliminating the leader of a faction is permitted and accepted!"
"..."
Darius was left speechless.
While he already understood the system’s arrogant nature, he genuinely hadn’t expected it to accept assassination requests as well. For a brief moment, even he felt conflicted. No matter what, his morals simply couldn’t allow him to kill innocent people for profit.
’System, such a thing is impossible. The only reason I was ruthless toward that man was because of his evil deeds. If it were an ordinary innocent person, I wouldn’t even think about harming them. I only kill demons and truly evil people, nothing more.’
"Host is overthinking. Who told you to tarnish the reputation of the Immortal Pavilion by accepting the assassination of innocent people and cultivators who protect humanity? How can Host’s thoughts be so dark?"
Bam!
Darius almost felt as though an arrow had pierced directly through his chest.
"I..."
For once, he genuinely didn’t know what to say.
Because the system was right.
The very first thing he imagined after hearing the word assassination was slaughtering innocent people for money. He hadn’t even considered other possibilities.
"No, wait..." Darius suddenly narrowed his eyes. ’You damned system, are you trying to morally blackmail me again? Don’t act innocent. You’re the one who brought up assassination missions in the first place!’
He truly felt exhausted sometimes dealing with this system’s strange personality.
Still, the robotic voice calmly continued.
"System will provide Host with a detection tool capable of verifying whether customers are speaking the truth. Host only needs to gather the details of the mission. If the target is innocent, the mission cannot be accepted. If the target is proven to be evil, the assassination request may officially become a pavilion mission."
Hearing that explanation, Darius finally relaxed slightly.
’So reputation comes first...’
At this point, he could more or less understand the system’s thinking. The Immortal Pavilion clearly intended to stand at the peak of the world someday. If it became infamous for murdering innocents for profit, then forget becoming the strongest pavilion—people would hunt it down sooner or later.
The system had apparently chosen its path long ago.
Righteousness mixed with absolute benefits.
Taking a deep breath, Darius looked back at the middle-aged man before him, this time with a much more natural smile. Customers were customers after all, and according to the system, proper treatment apparently affected evaluations.
"Sir, we do indeed accept assassination missions. However, the details are extremely important." Darius lowered his voice slightly while glancing around the pavilion hall. "You’ll also need to come upstairs with me."
At that moment, almost everyone inside the pavilion had already begun paying attention to them. Even Any, who was sitting nearby waiting for the cultivation rooms, openly stared with curiosity.
Naturally, the customer probably wouldn’t feel comfortable discussing such matters publicly.
The man immediately nodded in understanding.
"Thank you for the consideration."
However, just as Darius was about to stand up and lead him toward the second floor, the system notification sounded once more.
"Host, there is no need for the second floor. A sound isolation barrier already exists around the receptionist desk for situations involving private missions. Press the green button beneath the second container holding the emblems."
’Damn it... can you warn me beforehand for once?’
Helpless, Darius forced himself to remain calm before turning back toward the man.
"Sir, please take a seat instead. I just remembered the upper floor is still under construction." He coughed lightly before continuing in a composed tone, "There’s already a sound isolation formation here, so rest assured nobody will overhear us."
The man visibly relaxed after hearing that.
Soon, both of them sat facing each other while Darius casually pressed the hidden button beneath the desk.
Buzz.
A faint yellow barrier immediately surrounded the area around them, isolating their voices from the outside world.
Seeing this scene, the middle-aged man finally let out a relieved breath before fixing his gaze on Darius.
"Ahem... my name is Darius, Owner of the Immortal Pavilion. How may I help you? You mentioned an assassination request earlier, correct? Please explain everything in detail."
Although Darius maintained a calm expression, the slight tension hidden in his voice betrayed his excitement.
This was his first real customer attempting to issue a mission.
And not just any mission...
An assassination mission.
"My name is Oliver," the man slowly introduced himself. "I own a small weapons company on Earth. Mostly regular firearms and training equipment for newcomers preparing to enter the Sanctuary."
Darius silently nodded.
Meanwhile, Oliver’s expression gradually darkened.
"My son, David, awakened recently. He joined a guild and entered the Sanctuary for training and cultivation." The old man’s fingers trembled slightly as he spoke. "But several days ago... he suddenly contacted me asking for money to pay the gate fees and leave immediately."
Darius’s expression slowly became serious.
Oliver lowered his head.
"At first, I thought he was simply afraid after entering the Sanctuary for the first time." A bitter smile appeared on his face. "But then... the messages stopped completely."
The old man’s eyes gradually reddened.
"He disappeared."
Silence filled the isolated space.
Even Darius felt his chest tighten slightly seeing the man’s expression. Losing a son at such an age was something devastating, especially in a world like this where death lurked everywhere.
"Please calm down, Sir Oliver," Darius said softly. "Tell me everything you know first."
Oliver took a deep breath and forced himself to regain composure.
"I investigated quietly afterward. The guild refused to tell me anything useful and only said my son likely died during training." His old eyes suddenly sharpened. "But I know my son. Before the messages stopped, he kept hinting that something was wrong inside the guild itself."
Darius’s gaze flickered slightly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
"I heard about your pavilion after yesterday’s incident involving the demon," Oliver continued. "People are saying your missions are real and that you aren’t tied to the guild system." He clenched his fists slightly. "So I came here personally."
Then, after a brief pause, his voice turned colder.
"I want the truth uncovered."
"And if the people responsible are truly guilty..."
Oliver slowly raised his eyes toward Darius.
"I want them dead."
Outside the barrier, the atmosphere inside the pavilion remained lively.
But hidden beneath the desk, Darius’s fingers lightly tapped against the wood as excitement slowly rose in his chest.
This...
Was exactly the type of mission the Immortal Pavilion needed to raise its fame even further.
And somewhere deep inside, he suddenly felt that this matter might become much bigger than a simple disappearance. After all, if he took the mission and a guild member was assassinated, things would surely escalate rather quickly.
