Assassin Obstacle Course (9)

While the battle to safely escort Emily continued, many outside the battle made it the main topic of their conversations. However, the aspect of the battle they focused on, differed based on what they were aware of.

The mortals ran away as soon as they noticed the commotion, so they only knew that the battle was happening, but not how it was going. Not all of them were big fans of Emily, but it was natural for the majority to side with the cute and talented little girl over a bunch of assassins. They knew that they couldn't interfere in the affairs of cultivators, but that did not hamper their wish to see her on the screen above the amphitheater again.

The cultivators who knew the details of the battle but couldn't see the fights while they were happening, had more varied opinions. They knew that often times, it wasn't the strong or the evil that were unfairly hunted, but the weak and innocent. They were used to similar events, so they had anticipated this from the moment Emily showed off her talents. The ones who were jealous, laughed and cheered on the assassins, but the only thing those who admired her could do, was worry.

It was an open secret that a faction of city's administration was compliant in this plot, so they didn't dare say anything that would place a target on their back. Furthermore, the fluctuations from the battleground where Grandmaster Astar was, couldn't be missed, so they knew that this wasn't a matter that they could stick their hands in.

As for those who stayed neutral and were just watching the show, they started a bet on which side would win. This was something that all of them were interested in, so the total betting pool had reached one million low-quality spirit gems, and was still climbing. The odds were 12:1 in the assassins' favour, and most believed that it was the conflict between the Masters that would decide the victor, but there was a sizeable portion of them that still bet on Emily's team because of the fame and achievements that Grandmaster Astar had. Few disagreed that he would have the advantage if he was given time to lay an array, but it was obvious that the other Masters wouldn't be so stupid as to allow it, so only neutral array masters and his fans bet on Emily for this reason.

However, there was a group of cultivators who were more interested in the other fights. They were the smallest group but they were also the most influential, as they were composed of experts who could shift the flow of this battle with just their words. They weren't as interested in the conflict between Masters as they knew that no one would truly be going all-out, but they looked at the other fights because they interested in seeing what the younger generation had to bring to the table.

"Who is that young man?"

Among them, Shui was a popular topic. His stealth technique wasn't as effective against this group that could peer into the boundaries, but it would still make his identity vague to those he hadn't met him before. Luckily, Shui's real face didn't have much news associated with it, so few knew of him, and those that did only heard about him being a disciple of Storm Sky Manor. Still, his abilities impressed them and had them wondering why he wasn't more well-known. They couldn't see through his cultivation, but considering his usage of spells, they believed that he couldn't have advanced further than late Earth Realm, so the fact that he could face six Sky Realm experts was proof of his monstrous talent. It was especially impressive since he wasn't showing off any power that would be impossible for someone of his cultivation, but the level of refinement he had attained over his abilities was close to theirs.

Even Lefirius, who knew the most about him, felt similar as he didn't know that Shui had grown to this extent. He began to ponder the possibility of him actually starting a relationship with his niece, but the moment he pictured the two together the idea was wiped from his mind.

Attention was also on Emily's battle, though it died off once Alia's faithful arrived on the scene. These experts normally didn't attach much importance to tesora-rank artifacts, but they paid keen attention to the one she had. They could comprehend the principles used in its forging, but it was still a unique piece. They all wished to have a closer look, but there was an unspoken rule that no one else was allowed to enter the conflict.

The Array Association leader, the one who enforced this unspoken rule, was also curious about Dull Harmony, but he was much more concerned about Emily. Fortunately, there were no more enemies left in her path, but she would have to rely on herself to reach the finish line.

In addition to the spectators inside the city, there was a force in a different region of the Alterna Kingdom that was alerted by the incident. This force was very well-known, but their headquarters was the opposite. Even their elite members only knew clues about its location so despite the vast portion of land it occupied, it rarely housed more than the few who maintained it.

However, by sheer coincidence, three of the elder-level figures worthy of visiting, were having a meeting at the time of the incident. They usually oversaw branches of the force in other areas, but every few years, they would gather in small groups like this to share information and discuss future plans. All of them wore a white mask that had a single black knife etched on the forehead.

These Reapers of the Tower of Killers had reached the end of their regular session when one of the permanent staff informed them that a certain item's location had been revealed.

"It finally resurfaces. And for it to be in that city... how many elite members did we send there?"

"Twelve, Great Reaper. However, only five remain alive," the staff member answered.

"Hmm, what do you two think?"

"We must retrieve it."

"Certainly."

Only one of these three was involved with the original incident that led to the item being lost, but they did not bicker about who should take responsibility. That had been settled long ago so the only thing that mattered was taking the item back.

"Find out as much as possible about the circumstances that led to its reveal. If it's in that city, then records will definitely remain."

"However, ensure that this does not disrupt our other plans in the city," another Reaper added.

The third Reaper nodded in response. The last time, circumstances had interfered with their investigation, but now they could devote the necessary resources to securing the lost item. And as they were all aware, there would be no excuse for failure this time.