Way of the Knights

Chapter 809: Responsibilities

—

"Hey! Wanna team up with us? We're going for a B-rank mission!"

"Which one?"

"The one at the Dark Mountains, the patrol mission." 

"Ooh! Count me in! Wait! How will the division of the reward will be?"

"Confident are we? This is a B-rank mission from the Dawn Council I'll have you know. But well, come with me, we'll discuss it with the rest." 

"Aww darn! Someone snatched the mission I wanted!"

"Which one?"

"A A-rank Solo Mission at the Burning Ridge. The reward was a one-month ticket for any Law-enriched Environment from the Dawn Council. I was really counting on that for my next breakthrough."

"Oh, that one! Well, too bad. But isn't there a time limit for that? As far as I can remember if the mission wasn't turned in after five days, it'll be deemed as a failure. How long has it been since it disappeared?" 

"Just today, bro! I even got up early for it but alas! Someone took it before me!"

"Then pray that whoever it is doesn't succeed then. Well, that or you can look for another mission for now. I mean, there's tons of them here. I'm sure you'll be able to see something suitable for you."

"I guess so."

All over the Divine Realm, conversations like this are happening. People crowding all over the Mission Board released by the Dawn Council, searching for missions that are suitable at their level which will give them ample rewards. 

It's been two weeks since the Mission Board was covered by the Oriental Dragon Group, one week since it has been installed all over Divine Realm. 

Nobody even saw how they appeared, they just woke up one day and it's there, gleaming with a golden colored radiance. Thanks to the information that the Oriental Dragon Group released, some people know how it works. 

At first, people were skeptical. They all tried the lowest ranked missions first and to their surprise, the efficiency was extremely impressive. It didn't even take hours for them to receive their rewards after they cleared the mission, and that's without them needing to personally travel all the way to the Dawn Council's headquarters. 

As more time passed, they became shocked. The missions were practically endless and the rewards were fair. Some thought that the Dawn Council's treasury will get emptied as this continues but it is way too early for them to conclude that. Plus, with how detailed the missions were, applying and completing the mission went easier even without any briefing from the Dawn Council itself. 

Sufficed to say, a lot of people are swarming all over the Mission Board. Even those who had the backing of a sect didn't hesitate to apply for missions since the Dawn Council doesn't discriminate against them. Hell, some sects even encouraged them to do so. 

Not even Empyreans are immune to the allure of the rewards that the Dawn Council offers. Some of them were already doing the missions with higher difficulty. Of course, they were aware that there's a limited amount of missions they could take per year. That doesn't stop them though. 

All in all, the release of the Mission Board was considered as a success for the Dawn Council. The moment they see that the missions were being cleared, the burden on their shoulders turned lighter than before. At least, with these many people helping them in watching over their homes, the Dawn Council can focus on the more pressing matters. 

Of course, the mission board isn't the only one that rocked the Divine Realm. There's also the news of the Ancient Elysium Sect breaking the norms, going out of their indefinite seclusion for the first time in eons, ready to participate and contribute for the greater good of the Divine Realm in a more active role. 

This news shocked many people. Yet considering that Raven was the one who's leading the charge, the surprised was understandable. Raven alone has rocked the Divine Realm's beliefs one too many times already, people were starting to get used to his bold and grand movements. 

The Ancient Elysium Sect was of course more that happy to comply to this nee arrangements. God knows how many of them have been waiting for this for so long. The moment their doors swung open for the first time, the disciples immediately swarmed outside and began touring the Divine Realm. 

These people were of course under a mission from the Dawn Council, but they also have the permission to go back to their old homes to take a peek. Well, they need to complete the missions they applied for first, then they can visit their homes, that's the agreement. 

Raven truly did brought his own sect to the matters of the Dawn Council. Some people would think he's being lazy for doing this, given how he didn't even hesitate to mix his personal responsibilities from the council's matters. 

But, Raven has a reason for doing this. 

It's not like he forced any of the disciples or Elders from participating. They wanted to participate on their own free will. 

Besides, what's the sect supposed to do now that the Devil Emperor and his minions were gone? They don't really face any threats on their own yard. Sure, there are challenges that Raven prepared for them to keep them entertained but those can get old pretty fast.

Staying inside their shell would just hasten the decline of the Ancient Elysium Sect and god could freely smite Raven if he allowed the sect to decline while it's under his supervision, therefore he opened this choice for them. 

Those who wanted to remain in the sect can remain. Those who wanted to venture outside and participate at the matters of the Divine Realm as a whole may also do so, so long as they don't betray the sect and stain its reputation, it's all good. 

As for the Dawn Council itself, Raven remained busy. He was personally supervising the additional reforms occurring around while some of his Avatars remained at the Sect. If he's needed there, he can freely swap positions to any of Avatars anytime he wants. 

Right now, there are some things that he needed to pay attention to. 

The first thing in his list, the one he prioritizes the most, is the renovation of the Eternal Division Wall. 

The Eternal Division Wall is the protective wall that separates the Divine Realm from the Outer World. It's their first line of defense against invaders. 

Recalling the threat of the Abyssals, Raven can afford to waste time. He needs this wall stronger and better than it already is since at its current state, it's no different than a paper in front of the Abyssals, much less the Abyssal Emperor. 

That being said though, renovating the Eternal Division Wall is a monumental task. One that would need years to complete. 

Raven could always send his Avatars to start the task himself but his Avatars are weaker than him. Even though they won't be threatened by anyone out there, the seals they can make won't be up to Raven's standards. 

Additionally, the materials needed for the walls will take up sometime to be produced. The current wall is made out of pure Timeless God Stones, which is fine but then again, such a material is nothing but mere clay in front of the Abyssal Army. 

They're going to need something stronger, that and Raven's seals to make sure that the wall would at least be able to soak up some damage from the enemies. 

The Eternal Division Wall is just one of Raven's many concerns. There's a long list for him and it's gets worse the further down he went. Most of them though, could easily be dealt with once Raven becomes a Divine Knight, however, he's still far from saturating his accumulations, so for now, he could only set them aside. 

The weight of responsibility is weighing down on Raven's shoulders. He could feel his bones creaking under its heaviness. 

Raven sighed and decided to use to the Heavenly Mirror for a bit. Mark is out hunting some criminals so there's nobody here. 

Although this is an unethical and unfair use of this treasure, Raven couldn't care less. He placed his hand on the mirror's surface and imprinted the spatial coordinates. Then, he could see the mirror swirling in front of him. 

He zoomed in and the mirror revealed a lush plain of greenery with a fair and giggling child sitting beneath the shade of a tree. Watching as two of her friends fought each other in a playful manner. 

The child wad clutching a painting, one that depicted her and presumably her parents. The portrait showed her in the middle, she was holding onto her father at the left and her mother on the right. 

Raven felt the corner of his eyes sting, his heart felt full and ached ever so slightly after seeing his dear princess again after a few months of separation. 

'Take care of yourself, my sweet little princess.' Raven muttered inwardly as he fondly watched over Vanessa. 'Dad and Mom are doing their best to finish work early so we can go back home to you.'

'We miss you a lot, Vanessa.'