Immortal Kingdoms

"That's what you think, but some people desire these connections and intangible authority, so they don't mind gathering parties of rouge cultivators and paying them to complete these missions. To some, this may look like a losing trade, how much fortune are you willing to spit out to hire people? Never mind the fact that you'll have to pay and pay for hundreds of times, oftentimes the missions would even end up in failure, the issue lies in whether or not you'll find willing parties…" The old man began to gesture back and forth with his hands, sounding as though he had personally wasted a fortune on this method in the past.

The old man noticed the strange atmosphere and coughed, "Anyway, just know that if you fail five missions, not necessarily consecutively, your contributions within the same rank will reset as a penalty. Don't ask why, these are the regulations. Moreover, if you achieve six stars, you can also post a personal mission and a corresponding reward on the missions board, which will be distributed throughout the province. When you reach nine stars, it will be passed down to an additional two provinces…"

"Enough! I don't need to know all of this right now," Leonardo cut the old man off, kneading his forehead in annoyance at this load of information.

Regardless, he thanked the old man for the information and left his domain, returning to the teleportation formation. However, inwardly he wondered if he could request the assistance of those people from Memento Mori to complete a few missions, though he estimated that to be a fool's dream.

He wondered if Merlin found anyone who meets the requirements in the Runic Inscriptions Association as he entered the teleportation formation to leave the fourth floor.

…

Leonardo walked down the busy streets while playing with a pair of silver bracelets. Unlike the communication bracelets of the stellar world which utilize spiritual beads to propel spiritual fluctuations through space-time with the ethereal dimension as a medium, these bracelets incorporate runic inscriptions for the same purpose.

However, this model at least looked much more pleasing to the eye, and the durability of the bracelet could be enhanced depending on the materials used in the forging process, allowing for more flexibility in the fine-tuning and designs.

Leonardo decided to find highly durable materials in the future and submit a request to a forging master and an inscription master to create a few exquisite bracelets for himself and the people by his side. As he approached the Runic Inscriptions Association building, he noticed a slight commotion in front of the building, causing him to lift an eyebrow.

Who dared create trouble in Vast Sky Avenue, and in the Martial Script Pavilion's street nonetheless?

…

In front of the Runic Inscriptions Association building, it was actually Merlin who had a deep frown on her face. Behind her to one side was a hunched-back old man, a beautiful and reserved woman tending to his sudden fit of coughing with worry weighing down her otherwise flawless countenance.

However, a closer look would reveal an almost imperceptible rosy handprint on her cheek, but it melded so well with her natural blush that one would need a second look to see it.

Nonetheless, the rims of her eyes were dry and clear, proposing that even when abused, she wasn't the type of a woman to cry in helpless grief.

Merlin didn't know how to handle this situation, as she had finally found a suitable shopfront, but it seemed that this store's feet were entrenched in deep, worrisome waters.

The woman then glared across the sidewalk at a man who had his body half turned away, a cigar in his mouth while a tall man next to him was currently fixing his wrist.

"What a damn hard cheek you have, I almost want to file a complaint and ask for compensation over my numb right hand," the bodyguard snickered derisively. "Boss Ray offered to invest in but a meager 60% of your shop, yet you refused his kindness even though you're on the verge of bankruptcy. However, some random bitch swaggers in to invest in what was it? 20%? You immediately start wagging your tails! Do you want to die?!"

"Who we want to be our shareholders is our own business! If you want to be the shopkeeper, you can wait until Vast Sky Avenue revokes our lease to the shop, then you can directly buy it!" The woman hissed through her teeth, refusing to sell.

If they lost 60% of the shares, they might as well be fired from the shop by next month and end up on the streets. She wasn't oblivious to these hostile takeover tactics, and the sudden funding from an investor with goodwill wasn't something she could afford to skip.

Only, she hadn't expected these people to have been keeping an eye on her grandfather's shop from the shadows…

The bodyguard was inwardly impatient.

He has been trying to drag that woman in white laboratory robes into the waters by indirectly and directly cursing her, hoping to fish for an excuse to smack that beautiful face, but she simply stood there without saying a word.

Even when he slapped that female shopkeeper, there wasn't as much as a single response, let alone any acts of heroism.

The bodyguard sneered, sneaking a glance at the woman in white only to find her chatting with a handsome young man who appeared all of a sudden, leaving him speechless for words.

Then, he grew infuriated and walked over with gaping steps.

…

"What's up?"

Leonardo approached Merlin from the side and spoke, his eyes trained on the commotion ahead for a split minute and he already could guess what happened.

"Sir, this…" Merlin briefly explained the situation.

Apparently, she offered to invest in 20% of the shop that had been passed down generation after generation in this family, and she even offered up to 200,000 credits to make up for the stagnation in their business for the past year.

If a shop's revenue was in the red and they couldn't pay the designated taxes, they wouldn't only lose the shop but be forced into free labor to make up for their debts and interest. Thus, Merlin's offer was too good to be true, making the other party hesitant about accepting.

Alas, they were hesitating for a bit too long, allowing this guy and his men to arrive on time to cause trouble. Since the money and investment were Leonardo's, she didn't know what to do in this situation.

Systematically speaking, she should dash off this shop. However, this was the only shop meeting the criteria set by Leonardo.

"Oh, so it's just another hostile takeover?" Leonardo touched his chin for a moment before recalling something and handing over the silver communication bracelet to Merlin. "Equip this on, I noticed that you didn't have one either earlier so I bought two."

"Oh, thanks." Merlin received the silver bracelet and equipped it on her left wrist. At this moment, the tall bodyguard arrived with a twisted expression clouded with rage.