The Core Disciple Selection Begins (2)

Around half an hour later, the four remaining core disciple candidates arrived, and the mission distribution began. Five inner-section elders and a core elder oversaw this ceremony. To ensure fairness, all candidates would be sent off at the same time, so those that were called up would take out a jade slip with the details of their mission from a red box placed at the top of the short staircase in front of the entrance to the meeting hall. The box was made with materials that blocked spiritual sense, and candidates could only place their hands into the box, so no one knew what mission they would get until they pulled it out. At least that was the assumption.

Since he told Luke and Kate that he would put in effort to be first, Shui used his Sage God Eyes to see past the restrictions and check the jade slips in the box. He wasn't afraid that his mission would be too hard, but rather that he wouldn't be the only one who knew about it. Soon after peeking into the box, Shui confirmed his suspicion. Under the pile of slips, there was one that was stuck to the bottom of the box with the power of a spell. The spell was being cast by a familiar face among the five inner-section elders overseeing the ceremony. It was Elder Rong who had arranged for Shui to stay with Ryan and his friends when he first entered the manor. Shui found it hard to believe that none of the other elders had noticed this, so even though he didn't know all of them, he guessed that they were either allies with the enemy or threatened by them.

Since this jade slip was likely being saved for him, Shui guessed that the mission recorded within it was either impossible to complete within the time limit or could be used to set an ambush for him. All missions had to be reviewed by the High elder before being added to the box, so Shui believed that the latter option was more likely. If they slipped in an extra mission after the box was filled, it wouldn't be hard for him to alert the High elder about their trick. The missions would be distributed according to time spent as an inner section disciple, so Shui had plenty of time to ponder his next steps. 

One by one, the names of the candidates were called until, eventually, Shui heard his name. He ascended the stairs, bowed to the elders, and then reached his hand into the box. As soon as his hand entered the box, a jade slip 'coincidentally' touched his fingers. He moved his hand a few times to see if he could shake it off, but the jade slip diligently followed him. He didn't want to make Elder Rong suspicious, so he stopped playing around and took the jade slip that had been prepared for him before heading back to his initial position. 

"Now that all candidates have selected their missions, let the Core Disciple Selection, commence!"

Upon hearing the core elder's announcement, some core disciple candidates rushed off, but the rest calmly left the courtyard. Although there was a time limit, there was no merit in returning first, so it was much smarter to prepare adequately and then leave. Shui always had supplies packed away in his storage ring, so he planned on collecting information about the destination of his mission before leaving the city.

"Good luck, Shui."

"We'll be ready to celebrate when you come back, Boss."

"Thanks."

After parting with Fatty and Serina, Shui read the mission details recorded in the jade slip once more.

Retrieve an egg from a dragon subspecies native to the Merulla region.

As the most powerful creature, even a subspecies of the mighty dragon race possessed unparalleled potential. While the mission didn't require him to fight a dragon subspecies, retrieving the egg without a battle would be difficult even for him since sharpened senses were a common trend in the dragon bloodline. Buying it was also possible, but such a purchase would be hard to conceal, so he could easily see elders like Elder Rong nitpicking the result. As even the weakest dragon subspecies would have the strength of a high beast, completing this mission in the most straightforward way would be quite challenging if he stuck to using his energy cultivation. 

"And yet I doubt they even plan on letting me reach the Merulla region."

The Merulla region was located south of Henon and east of the five cities region. It was home to many species of evolved beasts and was better known among beast tamers as the best place to buy hatchlings with high potential. To gather more solid information about the region and the movements of the Gus and Wailings clans, Shui headed to the branch of Artisan Palace set up inside the city. 

This branch was also located in Latius, and it has seen much traffic since its opening. On the surface, Artisan Palace acted as an organisation where those in auxiliary professions could cooperate and sell their works. While there were similar organisations in the Alterna Kingdom, they were mostly exclusive, only serving those of one auxiliary profession, such as forge masters. The Artisan Palace still couldn't compare to those established forces, but it was quickly gaining popularity within the five cities and surrounding regions. 

As the hidden supporter of the palace, Shui was recognised as soon as he entered the multi-storey building, which served as the Silver City branch, and was taken to a private room on the first floor to wait while his request was processed. Various drinks, fruits, and snacks were already prepared in the room, but Shui didn't take anything and waited patiently. Even though not even ten minutes had passed, an employee returned with a space expansion bag containing the information he wanted and some other items that would be useful during his mission.

"The branch manager would like to know if you would be available for a celebration after returning from your mission."

Shui hadn't told them about the reason for his request, but he wasn't surprised that they figured it out.

"I'll consider it. I plan on taking my time, but if an emergency happens, don't be reluctant to send a message."

"Yes, Sir Protector."

Those in charge of this branch were already aware of Shui's identity, but to prevent any information leakage, he was only referred to as 'Sir Protector' or some variant of this title. Once he got the information he came for, Shui exited the branch and then left the city, fully cognizant of the sharp gazes targeting his back as he made it past the gates.

"He's left. Should we take action?"

"No. This may be the last chance we have, so it cannot be wasted! Even if not by our hands, he shall not make it back to the city alive."