Chapter 88: Mission Completed

Arthur wrapped his cloak securely around the young girl before turning to face her. He asked her to follow him closely. Before leaving the area, Arthur approached the spot where the fallen monster lay and collected the core from it’s body.

This time, Arthur decided against using his 10000 time amplifier to evolve the item quality. Instead, he chose to duplicate the core, selecting 10000 legendary grade copies of the exact same item.

He intentionally chose not to evolve it. The total price for these 10000 legendary items amounted to 2.5 million divine gold. To put that in perspective, a high grade epic item was priced around 50000 divine gold, while even a top grade one cost around 1 million divine gold. This outcome was precisely what he had intended to achieve.

Satisfied with the result, Arthur smiled warmly and summoned his shadow panther. The creature materialized in a swirl of dark energy. The girl gasped and took a step back, clearly terrified by the terrifying presence of the beast.

Arthur noticed her fear and quickly reassured her that the shadow panther was merely his loyal pet and would not harm her. Relieved by his gentle words, the girl finally agreed to hop onto the panther’s back. Arthur ordered the shadow panther to sprint at immense speed. The panther bounded across the terrain, covering a vast distance in just thirty minutes to reach the location where Jiang Han was resting.

The moment the girl spotted her father, she leaped off the panther and rushed toward him with lightning speed.

"Father...." she cried out loudly, her voice cracking with emotion.

Jiang Han opened his eyes with great difficulty. When he saw his daughter safe and sound before him, tears welled up and fell down his pale cheeks.

Arthur stood at a distance and did not interrupt their reunion. He understood that these people were not mere digital constructs. They were real individuals likely originating from some distant world, trapped inside the game as non player characters. They possessed genuine emotions, deep memories, and real souls.

After their emotional reunion subsided, the old man finally turned his gaze toward Arthur.

"Senior, I have brought back your daughter and this core for you. Is the mission completed?" Arthur asked respectfully.

"Yes, completed. Thank you, young man," Jiang Han replied, offering a weak yet grateful smile.

[Ding! You have completed the epic ranked task. Reward: Heavenly Mirror of Fate, Jiang Family Secret Technique.]

Hearing the system prompt, a wide smile appeared on Arthur’s face.

Jiang Han reached into his storage ring and produced a mirror measuring one foot in diameter, along with an ancient scroll. He passed both items over to Arthur.

"Young man, this is your reward. This mirror is my Jiang family’s heirloom, the Heavenly Mirror of Fate. Though it is currently damaged, it still possesses divine power. As for bringing back the core, take this scroll as well. This contains the secret artifact refining technique of the Jiang family. There are a total of seven parts scattered across the world. If you are lucky enough to collect all seven parts in the future, you will be able to reconstruct a complete god rank technique," Jiang Han explained calmly.

The young girl looked at her father with confusion evident on her face.

"Father, why are you giving him our family’s secret technique?" she asked, her voice filled with hesitation.

"I do not want our family inheritance to become extinct with time, Rong’er. This young man possesses extraordinary capabilities. Perhaps he will be able to collect all the scattered pieces and bring back the lost glory of our family in the future," Jiang Han said, gazing at his daughter with a doting smile.

"Thank you, senior, for your generous reward. I shall take my leave now," Arthur replied, bowing slightly as he prepared to walk away.

However, just as he took a step back, a sudden thought crossed his mind. He stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"Umm, senior, what is your next plan?" Arthur asked.

Jiang Han was visibly surprised by the unexpected question, pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts.

"I will absorb this monster core and attempt to recuperate. Once some of my internal injuries are healed, I will travel the world and do my absolute best to protect my daughter," Jiang Han said with a serious expression.

"Umm, judging by the severe nature of your injury, you will at least need a Fruit of Life to be 50% healed, right?" Arthur asked, looking intently at the wounded man.

Jiang Han’s eyes widened in sheer shock.

"How do you know about the Fruit of Life?" he asked, astonished.

"Well, I know about it. In fact, I can even give one to you right now. However, my condition is that you must follow me from now on and become our guild’s personal artifact refiner. I can personally guarantee your safety as well as your daughter’s safety. I am the owner of a legendary rank shelter that is capable of fending against even demigod level beings," Arthur stated in a confident and firm tone.

His words echoed across the quiet area like a burst of divine thunder.

"What did you say? You can give me a Fruit of Life? And you claim you can protect us from demigod level beings? Are you taking me for a complete fool?" Jiang Han roared, his voice laced with disbelief and anger.

Arthur chose not to argue or waste words. Instead, he opened the system shop and purchased a Fruit of Life, which was classified as a high grade epic item, spending 100000 divine gold without hesitation. He immediately retrieved the shimmering fruit from his inventory and held it out in his hand.

Jiang Han was about to vent more of his frustration, but the moment the luminous fruit appeared in Arthur’s hand, his harsh words died instantly in his throat. The overwhelming life aura radiating from the fruit filled the air. How could an experienced elder like him fail to recognize such a legendary divine medicine? He stared at the fruit intensely and gulped down his saliva in awe.

"Were you telling the truth?" Jiang Han asked, his voice trembling with a mixture of hope and nervousness.

"Of course. Accept my terms, and I will hand this over to you along with my absolute protection," Arthur replied calmly, maintaining his composure.

"I accept!" Jiang Han accepted readily, his previous doubts vanishing entirely.

Without delaying, Arthur immediately generated a binding contract using the gaming system interface and presented it to the elder.

"Please sign it then," Arthur said, extending the contract scroll.

Jiang Han took the contract and immediately placed his signature upon it without hesitation.

[Ding! You have gained an epic grade artifact refiner as your subordinate who is also a demigod level being. He can’t harm you or anyone or anything you mark.]

Seeing the system notification pop up, Arthur nodded with complete satisfaction and handed the Fruit of Life over to the elder.

"Please focus on your recuperation now. I will guard this area while you heal, and once you are ready, we will leave together," Arthur said reassuringly, taking a step back to watch over the surrounding perimeter.

Jiang Han held the glowing fruit delicately in his hands, deeply moved by the miraculous turn of events. He looked toward his daughter, who was watching him with wide eyes, and then looked back at Arthur with profound respect. The heavy burden that had weighed on his chest for so long finally seemed to lift. Without wasting another moment, Jiang Han sat cross legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and began to channel his energy to absorb the healing power of the Fruit of Life. Arthur stood nearby, keeping a vigilant eye on the surroundings to ensure total safety for his new subordinate and the young girl.

The mystical energy radiating from the Fruit of Life began to weave through Jiang Han’s meridians like streams of liquid emerald fire. Every single injured pathway within his body started to knit back together at a visible speed, expelling black impurities and residual dark malice left behind by the beast that had ambushed him earlier.

The atmosphere around them grew dense with pure vitality, causing the surrounding withered grass and flora to suddenly sprout vibrant green leaves. The young girl watched in absolute wonder, her hands clasped tightly together against her chest as she witnessed her father’s miraculous recovery taking place right before her very eyes.

Arthur monitored the ambient energy flow with a calm expression. He knew that adding a demigod level artifact refiner to his legendary rank shelter would completely change the dynamics of his guild. In this brutal and unforgiving world where players and native inhabitants alike struggled for survival, having someone capable of crafting peerless equipment and divine treasures was an unimaginable advantage.

He will not only be an artifact refiner, but also a powerful combatant and a guardian for the guild.