Chapter 921 - 916: Consecutive Quest, Step 2

Bai Pu carefully crafted his words.

The transition from gladiator to legionary soldier itself wasn't necessarily an advancement in status.

But the prerequisite was "joining the Demetri family."

The Demetri family was a prestigious family from the Imperial Capital, a major noble house ranking high in the Empire! Even an entry-level guard from the Demetri family, upon entering the Imperial Legion, would be at the captain level, managing a group of soldiers.

More importantly, this meant latching onto the powerful Demetri family.

Just look at how eagerly Karamango fawns over Galileo—it shows how influential this support is.

However, Karamango values Bai Pu as a cash cow very much.

Bai Pu is skeptical if Galileo's authority could persuade the stingy Karamango to let him go

... regarding this, Bai Pu remains pessimistic.

But making exorbitant demands followed by compromise could lead to a middle-ground solution.

The key is to trigger the second phase of the continuous mission.

Lady Rile indeed showed a difficult expression.

"Dior, my relationship with my husband Galileo... may not be as harmonious as you think. He comes from a small noble family and married me just for the background of the Demetri family. Now that he's successful and holds a high position, he doesn't value me as he did right after our marriage.

"He wouldn't make such a drastic move as to snatch the most promising gladiator from a gladiator boss just for my minor hobbies."

— I am well aware that you and Galileo are not on good terms.

— If the two of you were as close as glue, you wouldn't have thrown his gifted necklace into the support box; and his reaction to this was indeed somewhat overly indifferent...

Bai Pu silently thought these things over and casually said, "If not joining the legion but only the Demetri family guard... you should be able to make that decision."

Lady Rile hesitated for a moment: "The Demetri family guards have always been cultivated from childhood; they don't recruit outsiders whose origins are unknown. However, the 'Hidden Guard' unit responsible for external reconnaissance and secret operations does recruit talent without restrictions. The prerequisite is... you can prove your ability."

It's here!

Bai Pu's heart stirred, and he said with a smile, "Value determines status. I just need an opportunity."

Lady Rile nodded: "Dior, this is the Black Algae Mountain Range. Before the Lost Continent rose from the seabed, this place was the Demon's Spine, inhabited by a branch of Rot Scale Naga.

"I have always been fascinated by Naga culture. Find the Naga's nest and bring back all the Naga books you can find. It might help us decipher the Whisper Bottle."

At this moment, Bai Pu finally received the next phase of the mission.

[Continuous Mission Step 2: Seek]

[Mission Objective: Obtain books about Naga culture and further explore clues about the Whisper Bottle.]

[Mission Difficulty: Unknown]

[Mission Duration: None]

[Mission Reward: Become a Hidden Guard of the Demetri family; your reputation in the Demetri family will rise to esteemed respect (equivalent to your reputation level at the Red Blood Arena).]

[Failure Penalty: None]

Bai Pu decisively chose to accept: "I will bring back the Naga books... if these creatures have books."

Lady Rile earnestly stated: "Don't underestimate the Naga; they are not low-intelligence creatures but a highly civilized species, comparable with the Empire and the Barbarian Race."

Perhaps because Bai Pu was willing to accept the mission, Lady Rile's fondness for him visibly increased.

"Don't forget, as soon as you find the Naga books, come to Tefula City and find me at my estate. This is your proof to meet me."

Lady Rile handed a silver coin engraved with an iris to Bai Pu.

When passing it, Bai Pu felt a nimble finger gently hook his palm.

Vividly demonstrating the meaning of "seduction."

Bai Pu glanced at Lady Rile's "waveform band," then looked away. Lady Rile noticed, puffing out her chest, making her already impressive figure even more so.

Soon, Lady Rile's guards escorted her away.

...

"We've received the second-phase mission too... Lord Gangxin, you certainly have a way with female natives!"

Bart, originally worried about Bai Pu's safety, couldn't help but wiggle his eyebrows.

Bai Pu shook his head and said, "This Lady Rile is no ordinary person... according to her confessions, she arranged this meeting on purpose. Possibly at the Great Colosseum, when we killed Naga General Volash, she already had her eyes on us."

Thinking back, Lady Rile didn't reward at first; it wasn't until Naga General Volash fell to Bai Pu that she gifted a necklace worth ten thousand silver coins.

Rather than Bai Pu's charm, it's more accurate to say she really is interested in Naga culture!

"What should we do next? To obtain Naga cultural books, we'll have to go to the Naga's lair, right?"

Bart suggested, "How about we disguise ourselves as captives, and let this Naga traitor of yours pretend to escort us, and head to the Rot Scale Naga's nest?"

Bai Pu shook his head and said, "Kosasis' secret of being controlled by me will be detected by Leader Level Nagas."

Now with the Heart of Evolution Talent having gained the 3rd Layer Divine Rune, some hidden priorities have slightly increased.

For example, previously giving up control over Pure Blood Servants would lead to their immediate death, but now they can survive and transform into mutant beasts—like the Mutant Sand Crab mentioned here.

Also, when using Pure Blood to control servants, the master-servant connection, which used to be seen through by equal foundational priority experts, now requires a higher foundational priority to see through.

That is, the leaders of the Ascension Plane can see through it — Leader Priority is 9, whereas Bai Pu is at 8.

Bart scratched his head: "I remember Kosasis mentioning that the branch of Rot Scale Naga he belonged to was summoned along with two Leader Level Nagas and the elites, right? Which means this Rot Scale Naga branch's nest is empty. Seems promising."

"In that case, let's split and act separately."

Bai Pu still had concerns but found it inconvenient to voice.

He arranged for the Bart team to disperse and sneak into Tefula City, New Molten Iron City, and set up temporary personal relay stations along the way to transmit important information.

No choice, Ascension Plane Tier One items are unusable.

A single [Old Walkie-Talkie] item could have solved the remote communication problem, but now they need multiple Awakened ones to serve as relay stations, passing messages station by station.

Having Major General Gaia serve as a human relay station seems extravagant. Some people even showed defiance on their faces.

Bai Pu couldn't bother with all that and seriously stated: "Bart, if your team's Major General Gaia derelicts duty, leading to delayed intelligence transmission, I will directly kick you out of this mission chain."