QUEST ALERT
You have been approached by a mysterious figure seeking your assistance. They require your help to leave the city.
* Help the unknown figure leave the city without being caught:
* * Reward: 5 EXP
* Failure Condition: The unknown figure gets caught or dies.
* Failure Punishment: None
* Status: Not Accepted
* Surrender unknown figure to Young Master Feng
* * Reward: 5 EXP
* Failure Condition: The unknown figure escapes the city.
* Failure Punishment: None
* Status: Not Accepted
Accept: [Y/N]
So, he would get 5 EXP for the quest either way, that was not helping in telling him which option would be easier. He could easily help the ‘thief’ out of the city, but he would risk offending the White Lotus Sect, but if he didn’t, he was running risk of the ‘thief’ killing him if he was hiding his cultivation.
But that risk even still existed if he helped, as the ‘thief’ may do that to hide his tracks.
Then again, if he gave the ‘thief’ to the White Lotus Sect he may also be killed to silence him, why did it have to be him.
He had made sure that everyone knew that his boon only allowed him and not to bring anyone else along with him, he hadn’t actually tested that, but he didn’t plan on being forced into an organization because of his boon, or for any reason, really.
The best was probably to kill the guy and deposit his body somewhere the cultivators would find it, that should hopefully net him the EXP while also hiding his involvement, he just hoped that he would be fast enough to end it in one hit.
He put his hand into his pocket, closing his hand around one of the two knives he always had with him.
“I won’t tell anyone you are…”
The place behind the ‘thief’s’ back was significant, significant for killing him, and therefore he was able to fast travel there.
A moment later the knife was buried in the thief’s neck. He almost ripped it out again, but luckily remembered the mess that would make, so he instead held the twitching body, to make sure it didn’t fall to the ground, and fast traveled into a sewer close to the city center. It was significant to place the body where it could be found while it would be unlikely for him to be seen placing the body there.
Nylarthog vanished again before the body could even fall to the ground, only removing the knife.
The next place he appeared was a random place in a random forest, significant because it was so random and the knife was unlikely to be found there any time soon if he buried it.
He wasn’t about to take more risks than necessary. But for now he simple let the knife fall to the ground, he would bury it in a minute after he had locked the tavern.
While locking the door, he was also pleasantly surprised by a system notification.
Killed Mortal (Breath Cultivation Stage):
* Base EXP gain: 1.2 EXP
* Race Multiplier: 10
* Cultivation Multiplier: 1
* Combat Multiplier: 1
* Boon Multiplier: 1
* Total EXP gain: 12 EXP
So the guy had died, though he wondered how that was determined, if the brain stopped working? Or heart failure, or both?
None of these seemed to be viable, at least if he went with conventional cultivation, there were beings that could survive completely without a body.
Well, something to find out later, for now he had a knife to bury.
----------------------------------------
The next days were calm, everything went as it always did, people gossiped about this or that, but he heard nothing about the body having been found until almost a week later when the wanted poster was taken down.
“So he was caught?” Nylarthog asked, he wasn’t supposed the guy was dead after all.
“Yeah, found dead in a ditch somewhere apparently, robbed blind as well. And nobody has a clue who did it, got the higher ups in a right frenzy to find anything at all. Nobody wants to be the one to take the blame.”
Wait, so the quest should be either complete or failed, right? He could check that later, for now, he was going to plan on how to deal with this fucking situation.
The fact that the White Lotus Sect probably didn’t have whatever they had been searching for meant that the search would likely continue, which meant more risk of an escalation of the situation.
Well, he would just have to hope that the escalation didn’t happen.
After finishing the conversation he told Ignatius that he would be responsible for the tavern for now, as he had something to do.
He would get himself some actual weapons, something he should have done ages ago already.
They probably wouldn’t be of much use against cultivators on the Elemental Attunement realm, but they could go a long way against idiots trying to prevent him from leaving the city if his fast travel boon was somehow blocked.
He would also need to build countermeasures in case the system started causing problems, but it was way too early for that.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
QUEST ALERT
You have been approached by a mysterious figure seeking your assistance. They require your help to leave the city.
* Help the unknown figure leave the city without being caught:
* * Reward: 5 EXP
* Failure Condition: The unknown figure gets caught or dies.
* Failure Punishment: None
* Status: [Failed]
* Surrender unknown figure to Young Master Feng
* * Reward: 5 EXP
* Failure Condition: The unknown figure escapes the city.
* Failure Punishment: None
* Status: Complete
* Claim: [Yes/No]
Upon seeing that the quest was counted as complete, Nylarthog claimed the reward, bringing his total EXP to 28 EXP.
And life marched on, no calamity hitting the city, instead things calmed down after a few weeks. He had probably just read too many xianxia novels where every city the MC went to, a calamity of some kind hit.
But he didn’t let his guard down, even after months passed and similar instances happened again, just without the target running into Nylarthog.
More years passed by peacefully, business was going well, and Nylarthog even advanced to Tempest Soul.
That was until nine years later. Word had it that a secret realm would be opening somewhere nearby soon.
This couldn’t possibly mean anything good in Nylarthog’s opinion, sure, it was good for business, but what good would that be if he was dead?
He didn’t fear death, but he was finally getting somewhere with his cultivation, he estimated that in maybe another decade he could attempt Elemental Attunement.
Bur for now, he had to deal with the group of cultivators that he could sense approaching the tavern.
“Clean out the tavern, this young master will use it.”
Nylarthog decided one thing right then, once he broke advanced enough to reasonably advance in the elemental attunement stage, he would be out of this city, it was exciting in all the wrong ways, or maybe it was just that he was getting bored with his job, but that wasn’t important, it was his life after all.
Outwardly he showed no signs of any displease though, instead he put on his best smile, “Of course, young master, it will be done. Would you like to order anything while I clean out the establishment?”
The group of cultivators looked at Nylarthog with a mixture of surprise and disdain. It was clear that they didn't expect him to be so compliant. One of them, a young man with a haughty expression, stepped forward and sneered, "What kind of tavern owner are you? Bowing down so easily to our demands. You must not have any spine."
What, did they want him to resist? He wasn’t about to court death, especially not over something as trivial as his tavern. Nylarthog kept his smile in place and replied calmly, "I'm just a humble tavern owner, sir. My priority is to provide good service to my customers. If clearing out the tavern is what you require, I will do so without hesitation."
The young man's expression turned even more contemptuous at Nylarthog's response. "Hmph, how boring. We expected some entertainment, but it seems like you're just a cowardly rabbit hiding in your hole."
“If you want to start a fight, I would recommend the tavern two streets south, they have been making trouble for me recently.” They hadn’t, at least not more than what could be expected from a business competitor, but it could be fun to watch if nothing else.
The young man's sneer deepened. "Don't try to deflect our attention. We came here for a reason, and we will use this establishment for our purposes. You will clear it out, or suffer the consequences."
“Then I will immediately do so, as I already said earlier, but you seemed dissatisfied by my lack of resistance, so I thought I would send you to someone who would probably deny you, even if you look like someone who will pay more than technically required, which is not something I see reason to reject.”
The young man's eyes narrowed, clearly not pleased with Nylarthog's response. "Don't play games with us, tavern owner. We have no interest in your petty business rivalries. Clear out this tavern, or we will do it ourselves."
Nylarthog sighed inwardly, but maintained his calm exterior. "As you wish, sir. I will ask my customers to leave and clear out the establishment for your use. Please give me a moment."
With that, Nylarthog went around the tavern, politely asking his customers to leave as quickly as possible. Most of them were regulars who knew better than to get involved in any conflicts with cultivators. They quickly finished their drinks and left without protest.
Once the tavern was cleared out, Nylarthog stepped outside to watch as the group of cultivators filed into the establishment. They were dressed in expensive robes and carried themselves with an air of superiority. Nylarthog couldn't help but feel amused, they were only making a target of themselves by showing off their power like that. It was way safer to just cultivate for a few hundred years and then travel the world two major realms below once actual realm, but some people just couldn't resist the temptation of flaunting their strength.
That in itself wasn’t a problem, showing off could be nice at times, but it was way more satisfying if people thought you were showing off while you were actually holding back. He was going to do that one day, but with his talent it would probably take at least two millennia before he even reached a level where he was satisfied with his progress in the Elemental Attunement Realm, not to mention anything after that.
Nylarthog watched as the cultivators settled into the tavern, their arrogance and sense of entitlement evident in their every move. He wondered what their purpose was in taking over his establishment, but he knew better than to ask. They were probably on some kind of power trip or trying to impress someone, but it didn't really matter to him. As long as they paid him for the use of his tavern, he was content to let them do as they pleased.
He returned to his small office in the back of the tavern and sat down at his desk, idly flipping through a ledger of his accounts. He had always been good with numbers, ok, no, that was wrong, he had always been horrible with numbers, but he was great with logic systems, and breaking down large numbers into small ones was easy, and even he managed calculating something like 7*6, even if he still often broke that down to 3*7*2, because he could then break down 21*2 in 2*2=4 and 1*2=2.
Lost in thought, Nylarthog didn't notice when one of the cultivators entered his office, until the man cleared his throat loudly. Nylarthog looked up, startled, and quickly composed himself. "Is there something I can help you with, sir?" he asked politely.
The cultivator sneered at him. "We require more drinks, and we're not getting any younger. You'd better hurry up and get them for us, or else."
Nylarthog sighed inwardly, his patience wearing thin. He didn't appreciate the cultivator's tone, but he knew better than to show any disrespect to such a well paying customer. "Of course, sir. I'll bring them out to you right away."
He got up from his desk and made his way to the bar, where he quickly prepared a round of drinks for the cultivators. He had to admit, their taste in alcohol was expensive, and he was glad they were willing to pay the exorbitant prices he charged for them.
As he carried the tray of drinks to the group, he couldn't help but notice that one of them was eyeing him suspiciously. The man was dressed in a black robe, and his face was partially obscured by a hood. Nylarthog had seen his type before, the type that thought they were above everyone else and could do whatever they wanted. He made a mental note to keep an eye on him.
The cultivators took their drinks without a word of thanks, and Nylarthog retreated back to his office. He wasn't sure how long they were planning to stay, but he hoped they wouldn't cause any trouble. He had no interest in having to rebuild the tavern, but then again, it would be an excuse to leave before reaching the Elemental Attunement realm, so...
When the cultivators finally left two months later as the secret realm finally opened, he was almost sad to see them leave, they had paid well, and even if they had destroyed some furniture while drunk, the fact that the repayment always ended up being some kind of Elemetal Stone, even if not necessarily Wind Stones, made more than up with it.