Chapter 940: Chapter 45: Five Seconds Defense_4
"Hm? What did you say?" the master said with some surprise.
"I said your subordinate killed one of my retrievers. You should know how difficult it is to train a retriever, far more challenging than those exterminators that you cultivate," the President said indignantly.
The master replied, "How is that possible? To kill a retriever, in a one-on-one situation, only members of my Prime Assassination Squad could possibly do it, but they’ve all been at ’home.’ I haven’t sent them on any missions. Are you sure you aren’t mistaken? You should know that our Assassin’s Guild and your Thief’s Guild have always had a mutually beneficial relationship."
"Hmph! I would make a mistake? Hades Sword Technique: Heaven Earth Shaker, who else could execute that move other than the Ace Assassin ’Nether King’ from your Assassin’s Guild? It was the ’Nether King’s’ disciple who killed my subordinate with the Sword of Hades."
The master spoke in shock, "What did you say? The ’Nether King’s’ disciple? Is it a young man, not very old, and looking somewhat dull-witted?"
The President of the Thief’s Guild sneered, "Since you acknowledge that, it will be easier to handle. You must provide our Thief’s Guild with an explanation for this matter."
The master pondered for a while, then said, "What explanation can I offer you? I’ve also been looking for this person. By the way, you might not know this, but Hades was expelled from the Assassin’s Guild long ago."
The President of the Thief’s Guild was taken aback, then sneered, "Who are you trying to fool? Hades has worked for your Assassin’s Guild for so many years, the merits he has achieved are probably beyond even your own count. Would you not ingratiate him and give him a chance to betray you? And even if he did betray, with your way of doing things, would you let him live?"
The master replied, his voice tinged with anger, "Don’t think I’m afraid of you. If things turn sour between us, it’s bad for both sides. You should still remember how Hades joined our guild. He overheard a conversation between me and my subordinates, learning our secrets. Could he not betray us? Although I reacted promptly and had my subordinates administer the No-Second Holy Water, his skills were so formidable that he managed to escape and evaded two subsequent assassination attempts. Hades should be dead by now, and for that, our Assassin’s Guild paid the price of three exterminators, six Prime Assassins, and an arm of the Vice President. This kid you’re talking about; I do know of him. He seems to indeed be the ’Nether King’s’ disciple. It seems Hades really did pass on his Sword of Hades to him. My people have been looking for him too. He killed your subordinate, what does that have to do with us? Where did your subordinates encounter him?"
After listening to the master’s explanation, the President of the Thief’s Guild calmed down a bit and said somberly, "In the Elf Forest of the Tian Yuan Clan. However, he may have already left, and as to where he went, I am not sure. If what you say is true, I will have my people find that kid. I hope you can deal with him."
The master felt inward satisfaction, but his expression remained unchanged as he replied, "Alright, we’ll take care of this matter. I know your Thief’s Guild can’t easily kill people. What was your retriever doing in the Elf Forest? Was there some big mission? It seems your guild is getting richer and richer!"
Feeling a chill in his heart, the President of the Thief’s Guild had been engaging in a battle of wits with this head of the Assassin’s Guild for not just one or two days. Hearing this, he sneered, "That’s not something I can tell you. How could we ever earn money as quickly as your Assassin’s Guild? Let’s leave it at this for now. I’ll inform you as soon as I have news." After saying this, a shadow flashed, and he disappeared from the spot.
The master let out a few mocking laughs, muttering to himself, "Are our Assassin’s Guild’s actions something you can control?"
A one-armed man appeared beside the master, speaking in a low voice, "Master, he’s getting more and more arrogant. Shouldn’t we..."
The master raised his hand to stop him from continuing, saying, "No, the power of the Thief’s Guild is actually no less than ours, and there are many opportunities for cooperation between us. We can’t move against them just yet. We had kept the matter of Hades well concealed, and now he’s become aware of it. Without Hades, our strength has indeed decreased a lot. Order all the subordinates out looking for that kid to come back. The Thief’s Guild will help us find him. If we can recruit him like we did Hades, train him for a while, we will once again possess the world’s number one assassin."
The one-armed man hesitated, "But Hades died because of us. Would he submit?"
The master snorted coldly, "There is nothing in this world that can’t be done; it just depends on whether you put in the effort to do it. Don’t rush this matter—wait for news. You need to hurry up with the training of our subordinates. Every bit of increased strength will play a crucial role in our future."
"Yes, master." The one-armed man quietly withdrew, not seeing the faint red gleam twinkling in the depth of the master’s eyes.
...
"No, no, I’m not a demon." Ah Dai woke up from a nightmare, suddenly sitting up. He gasped for breath, having dreamt that countless aggrieved souls surrounded him, demanding his life. It took a moment before he calmed down, only to find himself lying on a cold, hard boulder. It was dark around him; he could only vaguely make out that he seemed to be in a cave.
"You’re awake," a clear voice rang out beside Ah Dai’s ear.
Only then did Ah Dai realize, wasn’t this the cave where the Sword Saint of the Tian Gang lived? "Grandmaster, is that you? Why am I here with you?"
