Chapter 88: Mission Failed Successfully
Damian quickly stopped grinning as he remembered something important and asked Selvara, "Master, what about that bastard Marden Lou?"
Selvara looked at him. "Marden Lou?"
Damian nodded with a cold expression. "Yeah. After all, this whole mess happened because of him. If he had properly told the truth from the beginning, we would have been prepared."
He crossed his arms and clicked his tongue. "That guy accepted protection from Heavenly Sword Sect disciples, then secretly carried some dangerous pill without saying anything. Isn’t that basically using us?"
Selvara’s eyes became cold. "Do not worry. He will be punished."
Damian’s brows lifted slightly. "Really?"
Selvara nodded faintly. "He hired disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect to protect his caravan, yet he concealed crucial information about the cargo."
Her voice became colder. "That is no small matter."
Damian smiled slightly. "Good."
Selvara continued, "If he had told the truth from the beginning, the sect would not have treated the mission as an ordinary escort task. The mission grade would have been raised, stronger disciples or elders would have been sent, and the danger would have been handled differently."
Damian nodded seriously. "Exactly. Instead, he acted like he was only transporting herbs, cloth, and spirit stones."
Then his mouth twitched. "Mostly."
Selvara glanced at him.
Damian shrugged. "What? That word was the moment I knew he was hiding something."
Selvara said calmly, "The Sect Master has already sent people to investigate him and whoever hired him. If Marden Lou truly knew how dangerous the item was and still hid it, he will pay a heavy price."
Damian rubbed his chin and smiled. "Great. That’s what I wanted to hear."
Selvara’s silver eyes narrowed slightly. "Do not look so happy."
Damian immediately adjusted his expression. "Master, I am not happy. I am simply pleased that justice still exists in the world."
Selvara stared at him silently.
Damian coughed. "Fine. Maybe a little happy."
Selvara ignored his nonsense and continued, "After all, we are the Heavenly Sword Sect. How dare he try to use our disciples as shields while hiding the real danger?"
Damian’s eyes brightened. "Exactly! That’s what I’m saying."
He clicked his tongue again. "That merchant was lucky I didn’t throw him at Morven myself."
Selvara’s gaze turned sharp.
Damian quickly corrected himself. "I mean... of course, I would never do something so cruel, righteous, and efficient."
Selvara sighed faintly.
For a moment, the room became quiet.
Then Selvara spoke again. "Still, because of this matter, your original mission is considered a failure."
Damian froze. "Failure...?"
Selvara nodded. "Correct."
Damian stared at her blankly. "Master... what do you mean, failure?"
Selvara calmly explained, "Your mission was to escort the merchant caravan to Redstone City."
Damian pointed at himself. "And I did."
Selvara looked at him. "No. The caravan arrived. The other disciples arrived. Marden Lou arrived."
She paused for a moment before adding, "You did not."
Damian’s mouth opened slightly, and for a few seconds, he could not find the words.
Then his eyebrow twitched. "Wait, wait, wait. Master, isn’t that a little too technical?"
Selvara’s expression did not change. "Mission records are technical."
Damian almost choked. "Master, I stayed behind to fight a Golden Core cultivator! I protected the caravan by making sure that old bastard chased me instead of them!"
Selvara nodded. "That is true."
Damian argued back, "Then how is that a failure, Master?"
Selvara also answered calmly, "Because the original mission required you to escort the caravan until arrival."
Damian stared at her.
Selvara stared back.
The room became silent.
Damian slowly placed a hand over his chest. "Master... I feel betrayed by paperwork."
Selvara’s eyes moved slightly, as if she found his reaction mildly ridiculous.
Damian sighed deeply. "Damn it. I risked my life, fought bandits, gave out pills, fought a Golden Core elder, and got chased through the forest, and somehow the result is still mission failed?"
He looked toward the ceiling with empty eyes. "This is why bureaucracy is more terrifying than cultivators."
Selvara calmly said, "Do not worry."
Damian slowly looked back at her. "There is still something worse?"
Selvara ignored his tone. "Since you are basically the hero of this mission, the Sect Master added another mission record under your name."
Damian blinked. "Another mission?"
Selvara nodded. "A special emergency mission."
Damian’s eyes slowly brightened. "Special emergency mission?"
Selvara said calmly, "Protecting fellow disciples from a Golden Core cultivator, identifying a hidden threat in the escort mission, and preventing the Night Fragrance Pavilion from obtaining a dangerous pill."
Damian’s expression changed.
Selvara continued, "That mission was judged successful."
Damian instantly straightened his back. "Oh?"
Selvara looked at him. "Your original escort mission failed, but the emergency mission succeeded."
Damian rubbed his chin. "So... do I still get contribution points?"
Selvara glanced at him. "You care about that first?"
Damian spoke seriously. "Master, contribution points are also part of a disciple’s dignity."
Selvara was silent for a moment before saying, "The reward from the emergency mission is higher than the original escort mission."
Damian’s face immediately brightened. "Good, good."
Selvara’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Damian quickly coughed and put on a serious expression. "I mean, as expected of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Fair, wise, and generous."
Selvara ignored his flattery. "You will receive the reward after the investigation is complete."
Damian nodded happily. "That works."
Then he suddenly paused and asked, "Master, does this mean my mission record shows one failure and one success?"
Selvara nodded. "Yes."
Damian’s smile froze again. "Master..."
Selvara narrowed her eyes. "What?"
Damian begged, "Can we remove the failure?"
Selvara shook her head. "No."
Damian covered his face. "Damn it..."
Selvara looked at him calmly. "Failure is also experience."
Damian lowered his hand and muttered, "It was not even my fault."
Selvara said, "Then learn to check the client properly next time."
Damian froze for a moment and sighed, but he had to admit that Selvara was right.
If he had questioned Marden Lou earlier, maybe the situation would not have become so messy.
Of course, knowing his luck, trouble probably still would have happened anyway.
Damian leaned back slightly and said, "Fine. Next time, before accepting a mission, I’ll ask whether the client is secretly carrying a pill that can make Golden Core elders go insane."
Selvara nodded. "Good."
Damian blinked. "Master, I was joking."
Selvara looked at him calmly. "I was not."
Damian’s mouth twitched.
For some reason, he suddenly felt like his future mission process had become much more troublesome.
