Chapter 684 - Mission Reward & System Upgrade (1/3) (2/2)
The elderly chairman no longer looked ashen. Instead, he had turned purple. Indeed, such a rule existed for the military exercise in the Dragon Soul Ceremony. Apart from receiving the blessings of the Light Dragon Soul, the final victor could also gain a generous reward. The Magician Knights were killed in the overly bloody battle and Andre was left gravely injured. The problem was that not only was Andre’s life in danger, but according to the Clerics who treated him, he was also suffering from a mysterious and terrifying curse where spiritual spells couldn’t remove it. Even though such a curse wouldn’t take Andre’s life, it would leave him incredibly weak and he couldn’t get up on his feet. It could also be said that even if Andre wasn’t dead, he would be no different from a handicapped person.
[Holy Sword Succubus—Curse Property: After striking its target, there is a 30% chance of inflicting a weakness curse. Undispellable.]
If Rhode knew about it, perhaps he would exclaim in awe on how lucky Andre was to hit the 30% probability. But… as for whatever happened to Andre thereafter, it had nothing to do with him anymore.
Even in true battles, the Magician Knights had never suffered such a terrible loss. This led to complete chaos in the Light Parliament and them forgetting about the rule in rewarding the victor. The elderly chairman didn’t expect that this young man to be that shameless to ask for it!
Rhode didn’t care if he was being shameless or not, since it was only right for him to receive the reward and it would be a waste not to. Furthermore, this could leave the Light Parliament fuming. Such a method to kill two birds with one stone was as great as gulping down an ice-cold drink on a warm, summer afternoon… Why would Rhode even reject it?
“I won’t ask for too much.”
Rhode revealed a smile and spread his arms apart.
“If I recall correctly, in the collection of your honorable parliament, there is a ‘King’s Protection’, right?”
“What…!”
The elderly chairman opened his eyes wide. His aged, weak body swayed and he extended his trembling finger at Rhode.
‘King’s Protection’ was one of the most valuable gems in the Light Parliament’s collection. Rumor had it that it was one of the weapons used by the King who worshiped the Light Dragon during the founding of the Country of Light. It was a completely white shield embedded with magical runes filled with divine guardian powers. This shield was enormous and heavy, where ordinary humans couldn’t move it at all. In fact, ever since the establishment of the Light Parliament, the ‘King’s Protection’ had been hidden deeply in their treasure chest and conserved as a symbol of human bravery.
“This… I…”
“There shouldn’t be a problem, right, Parliament Chairman?”
Rhode said with a smile.
“This is my privilege as the victor, right? If you aren’t willing to, I will need to discuss with Her Majesty. I guess, according to the traditions…”
“Alright! Alright!”
The elderly man interrupted. He gritted his teeth and glared at Rhode as though he were his father’s murderer. After a few moments, he let out a long sigh.
“… Alright, I will hand the King’s Protection to you before you leave tomorrow. Is this arrangement fine?! Earl Rhode?!”
“Sure, I’m glad, Parliament Chairman.”
Rhode’s smile broadened into a grin. Anyone would burst into chuckles when a few words could exchange for a legendary artifact. But this was only the start for him.
“Alright then. Next…”
“Next?!”
The elderly man snapped.
“Earl Rhode! Our Light Parliament will not tolerate being bullied! If you go overboard, we…”
“How can this request be too much, Parliament Chairman?”
Rhode spread his arms apart and looked at the elderly man with an innocent-looking face.
“Have you forgotten? Only Anne and I have stepped onto the battlefield. In other words, both of us should receive a reward. The previous reward was for Anne and the next should be for me… Do you have any objections to this?”
The elderly man gawked, but couldn’t utter a single word. His beard trembled constantly. Rhode wasn’t sure if the elderly man would collapse to a heart attack. Finally, the elderly man lowered his head, perhaps due to Rhode’s reasonable explanations or perhaps he was too fatigued.
“Alright then. Earl Rhode, what do you want?”
“My request is fairly simple.”
Rhode extended three fingers delightfully.
“I just want 30 of the best Soul Cores.”
“… Just like that?”
The elderly man widened his eyes in astonishment. He was mentally prepared for Rhode to raise a request that would rip him off. But he never expected that this young man only asked for 30 Soul Cores? Even though Soul Cores were indeed hard for ordinary people to lay their hands on and the best ones were rarely seen in the market, it wasn’t surprising for a massive force like the Light Parliament to possess some. Although Soul Cores were precious, they were merely expensive and rare… On the other hand, a legendary artifact like the King’s Protection was true wealth!
“That’s right, Parliament Chairman. I think this shouldn’t be tough for you.”
“…”
The elderly man hesitated for a moment. Then, he frowned and shook his head.
“I’m sorry, Earl Rhode. Even though we have Soul Cores in our possession, we don’t have 30 of them. I’m sure you’re aware that they are precious and rare. Moreover, you’re asking for the best Soul Cores… I can give you 10 of them at most.”
“No problem.”
Rhode agreed instantly.
“Alright then, I look forward to you fulfilling your promise, Parliament Chairman.”
Rhode nodded slightly before turning away without hesitation, leaving the elderly chairman before the large doors in a daze. He didn’t expect that Rhode would agree to his words so straightforwardly.
What exactly is going on in his head?
The elderly man remain perplexed despite much thought.