Chapter 145 - Lower Headquarters

I wasn't used to walking on a highway. Despite how perfectly flat it was, I had to take care with each of my steps, worried that I could twist my ankle. 

It wasn't the road's fault. It was perfect to the last detail. But because it was so perfectly falt, I couldn't help but slip on it. 

The shoes that Lucius gave me a while ago were great when it came to moving through the dense forest, but they did a very poor job at sticking to the even surface. 

"Stop complaining," Lucius barked. His mood was pretty bad ever since he woke up for the road. And now, nearly ten hours into the walk, he was the most irritable person in the area. 

Mostly because there were only the two of us within eyesight. 

"But I didn't say anything!" I protested, only to focus my entire attention back on keeping myself stable on the road. 

"It was written all over your face," Lucius replied, shutting me down. 

This kind of quick exchange was the only kind of companionship that I could expect right now. 

For me, this was the road to fulfilling my alimony-like obligations that would allow me to properly support Mia. In other words, I was happy with what I was doing. 

Compared to me, Lucius moved as if he was walking towards his own execution. 

'I guess he doesn't like the fact that he also has a quota to fulfill,' I thought when a sudden idea popped up in my head. "I'm sorry for asking this only now... But what will happen to my beneficiary the moment we finish our contract?" I asked. 

A contractor had to fulfill a single criterion to end their contract. And it was to reach a level of strength designated by the sect. 

I knew it, but as I was in no hurry to advance yet, I didn't even ask what that level was.

"The obligations of supporting them will move on to the sect," Lucius replied. Whenever a normal topic would be raised, he would respond more or less naturally. "But as you might expect, the beneficiary will only receive the bare minimum, as much as they will if you only fulfill the basic quota," he explained. 

"On that note," I cleared my thought, "is it possible to pass some resources directly to my beneficiary? Or a storage ring with resources... for example?" I asked. 

After all, how could I leave Mia with just the bare minimum? Even if that was already a lot for your normal cultivator, that wouldn't be anywhere near enough to sate my desire to help her. 

"A storage ring?" Lucius asked, only for the tension to disappear from his face as he laughed out. "Don't even joke like that. They can go for tens of thousands of gold coins each!" he uttered, tears appearing in his eyes. "Still," he muttered, wiping the tears from his face, "if you wish to send her a ring, you are free to do so. They won't be allowed to check or change its content," Lucius explained. 

"No additional cost?" I asked, unable to believe in my luck. 

"For every request or action out of the ordinary rules, they will double a single quota of yours," Lucius quickly added a limitation. "That's why, if you are willing to somehow go as far as to get her a storage ring," Lucius' lips trembled as he held back a chuckle, "it's better to do it once you can pass it on, filled to the brim."

"Don't take me for someone poor," I smiled. "I might not be the richest, but I still should have some spare change on my account," I said. 

If everything that I heard about the specific gold distribution in the world was true, then even if a little, my fortune from the Skyladder sect should still be worth something!

"Yeah, yeah," Lucius waved his head, clearly dismissing the topic. "Even if that's true, you shouldn't say that to anyone. The fewer people know about your wealth, the better," he added, only to explode with a chuckle. 

The man tried to hold it in for a long while, but there was a limit to his mental restraint.

Still, this chuckle allowed Lucius's mood to lift slightly, especially as they were finally nearing the sect. 

The two of them passed by a massive hill that forced the highway to meander around it. And then, just like that, the sect appeared before their eyes. 

It was one of the biggest towns on the entire continent for the locals. With the exception of the major sect and political powerhouses in the area, this city was surely the richest and most likely also most populous.

'Is that all?' I thought, unable to stop the disappointment from seeping into my soul. 

In my eyes, this wasn't even a city... but a big town. 

'If I remember correctly, this place looks about as big as that small town I once went to work at,' I thought. 

A place that existed just because of two competing food factories and a small city sprawled at the water. Then the Tuxi sect lower headquarters... Those two appeared to be more or less just as big!

'Isn't this awesome?' I still stopped in my tracks. While the size of this place was slightly underwhelming, I couldn't help but notice just how intricate its architecture was. 

It didn't feel like a town at all, but more like a massive display of the architectonical genius, a pleiade where the greatest constructors of history could display their craft. 

"Move it," Lucius barked. 

The second we stopped talking about something specific, his personality reverted to the irritated and most likely hungover senior of mine. 

Thanks to Lucious' hurrying, we soon arrived at the outer gate of the city. 

In there, a single flash of Lucius badge was enough to get the two of us past the guards and into the city. 

"You should get your badge," Lucius ordered. "Make sure to keep that in your memory once we get to the inner city," he added. 

"Isn't this one enough?" I asked, pulling out the identity token that I received all the way back at the auction hall in the Skyladder sect. 

"Is that...?" Lucius muttered, leaning over the token. "That won't work. But you can go to the auction hall and have it reregistered to your new location," Lucius raised his head and looked at my face. "Then, it should be enough," he said, turning back and picking up the pace. 

I couldn't really focus on anything as we moved through the town's tight streets. People were already bustling about even though it was still the outer area. 

From how hurried everyone was, it was clear that they had their businesses, matters, and problems to deal with. As it turned out, the name of 'outer headquarters fo the sect' was pretty misleading, as, in the entire outer city, I didn't get to see a single disciple of the sect. 

Soon, we arrived at the second gate. Yet, the second Lucius flashed his token up, I could tell that the troubles were about to begin. 

"Look who came back!" Instead of guards, the gate was guarded by the sect's disciples. From the robes they were wearing, it was clear that they were far above any rank I ever met with. "And here I thought you died a dog's death somewhere far away from home already," the man added. 

Normally, I wouldn't pay such idiots any mind. I had my own fair share of bullying and troubles back at the skyladder sect. There wasn't a single reason for me to get involved. 

Not a single reason outside of how much I despised this kind of people. And judging from the intensity of their aura, they were barely a single stage above me!

Still, this would not be an easy fight if a fight were to erupt. Outside of the outcome of the battle alone, I clearly couldn't bear the consequences that would follow. 

That's why, rather than acting out, I simply lowered my eyelids and looked at the disciple's face, my hand caressing the handle of my spear. 

If there was anything that I gained over a month of extensive hunting, it was my ability to exude a powerful bloodlust. 

It wasn't something that Lucius taught me, but something that I caught on after observing the beasts I would kill. A skill my overseer didn't even know I had. 

"Huh...?" the stench of my bloodlust was so unexpected and condensed that the disciple instinctively took a step back. 

"Is my token alright?" I asked, raising the small bead towards the guard's eyes. Instead of just flashing it and trying to keep its details hidden, I pushed it so close to the man's eyes that he likely couldn't even focus his sight on it. 

Coupled with another wave of bloodlust, the guard didn't even bother looking at the ID.

"Yeah, you can pass..." he muttered, staring wide-eyed at my face. 

'I guess he will remember me,' I thought, rolling my eyes with annoyance. 

Even though I tried my best to be gentle, this was the inevitable cost of avoiding another annoyance. Now, instead of wasting a whole lot of time listening to the insults, I would have to look back to protect myself from some kind of sneak attacks. 

Not the greatest trade ever, but not a bad one either. 

"It might not be as great as you expected it to be," Lucius muttered as we passed the gate.. He then turned around and looked right at my face. "Welcome to the lower headquarters of the Tuxi sect!"