Advancement, Silver Level

In the City Lord's Mansion

The only players invited this time were the Guards and Demacia. They glanced around nervously at the imposing buildings surrounding them.

It was actually quite normal for this mission to be rated as "Hell" difficulty. Under ordinary circumstances, the players would have made little impact, and they would have been apprehended by the law enforcement team. They wouldn't have had the chance to meet the city lord, let alone confront the cook named Yali.

If the players wanted to break through the many obstacles, the one with the black rose would have to make a mistake first—something that would take time. Besides, they had already been noticed by the Night Rose, making it nearly impossible to escape the resurrection point.

This was the true beginning of Hell difficulty, and it was clear that the situation had been carefully orchestrated by both sides.

"When we meet the city lord, just tell him what you know and say nothing else," Bai Yi instructed firmly, his pace quickening with anxiety.

"I understand," Demacia responded, his gaze wandering over the sprawling view of the mansion and the beautiful, serene garden. He swallowed hard. "This City Lord's Mansion is enormous. If it were real, this would probably be a 500,000 square meter manor."

"Got it. Thanks, Mr. Bai Yi," Wei Lu replied quickly, but then hesitated. "Do I need to change clothes? I look a bit... indecent."

Bai Yi glanced back, noticing the blood stains on Wei Lu's abdomen, chest, and pants. He looked a bit worse for wear.

"No need," Bai Yi answered calmly.

He then turned his attention to a pavilion in the middle of a lake, where the city lord was lounging in a rocking chair, engrossed in his phone, completely unfazed by the commotion caused by the Barrett just moments ago.

As Bai Yi slowed his steps, a shrill voice broke the silence. "Lord City Lord, you're making things difficult for me! I don't know how to make such a complicated potion!"

Bai Yi paused, his surprise visible, then quickly understood.

Relaxing slightly, he deduced that the shot fired earlier had been orchestrated by Sabo. Although Sabo was profit-driven, everything he did was for his own gain. He had also been targeted by Night Rose in the past and, if given the chance, would seek revenge.

So that's why his plan had succeeded so quickly.

The city lord, still engrossed in his phone, looked up at the commotion. His dissatisfaction vanished the moment he saw Bai Yi, and his expression softened.

"What's this? Why are all you youngsters here bothering an old man like me?" Eric asked with a smile.

Bai Yi, feeling somewhat helpless, thought to himself, Isn't it true that only the city lord can ignore the Night Rose? In all of Dongwu City, anyone who was blamed for involvement with the Night Rose would be doomed. Only the city lord and players were immune.

Sabo seemed to think the same. If he hadn't intervened earlier, someone would've come to rescue the players and brought them in.

"I was visiting the ICBM silo when I noticed the commotion outside. These two discovered some important information, and I think it's crucial to report it to you," Bai Yi explained respectfully, stepping into the pavilion with Sabo.

The two players lowered their heads, silent and avoiding eye contact with their surroundings. For players like them, a level 77 city lord felt almost godlike.

"A spectacle? Is that what it says?" Eric asked, turning up the volume on his phone.

A pleasant female voice echoed in the pavilion:

"The most peculiar wonders in history, appearing to be from various races, mainly elves, humans, and orcs. They are immortal and disappear for at least twelve hours each day. Some time ago, they disappeared for a collective twenty days and reappeared three days ago. They're friendly and enthusiastically assist all residents, growing stronger in the process. The principle behind this is unknown, but we continue to observe."

Bai Yi nodded and motioned to the two players behind him.

They hurried forward, bowing deeply to the city lord. "Hello, City Lord."

Eric scanned them, his eyes narrowing as he looked them over, then turned to Bai Yi and Sabo, his gaze flicking back and forth between them.

"The feng shui of Dongwu City is impressive. It's given birth to two like you. I quite like this phone," he said with a chuckle.

With that, he went back to scrolling through his phone, "You talk. I'll listen."

Wei Lu, catching the cue, took a step forward, preparing to speak.

"Your Excellency the City Lord, here's the story: Three days ago, a black-robed human came to us, requesting help from Qiguan. They claimed an organization called Night Rose had infiltrated the City Lord's Mansion, and we initiated a three-day investigation."

"During our investigation, we discovered something far more disturbing: they're everywhere. The vegetable market, the mansion—Night Rose's presence is omnipresent. The only way to distinguish them is that, when they die, their bodies emit smoke."

At this point, Eric paused his scrolling, but said nothing.

"We also received a letter from the sky, informing us that all over the federation, more than 600 cities are infiltrated by Night Rose. If they've infiltrated so many cities unnoticed, they must be planning something big. This entire drama was staged in the City Lord's Mansion," Wei Lu continued.

"A short while ago, an unknown force shot and killed Yali, whose strange black aura confirmed our suspicions."

"City Lord, this is everything we know," Wei Lu finished, stepping back to stand next to Demacia, who was still a bit bloodied.

Eric continued scrolling, his eyes distant. After about ten minutes, the moon was faintly visible to the east, while the sun still lingered in the west. The air was thick with tension.

Suddenly, the sound of wind chimes filled the pavilion as Eric put down his phone, turning to the two players. His eyes were sharper now.

"Thank you for the information. What prize would you like?" he asked kindly.

Just as he spoke, a shift in the players' auras was palpable. One player jumped from level 4 to level 6, the other from level 5 to level 7.

Eric stared in shock, his attention now fully on the players. "Take them out, Sabo. The City Lord's Mansion will reward them as promised."

Sabo nodded, a smile spreading across his face. "Understood, City Lord."

The players, eyes gleaming with excitement, quickly followed Sabo out of the pavilion.

The scene shifts, but we get a glimpse of Eric's mental state: his thoughts distracted, though tinged with growing excitement.

Eric sat still, his cloudy gaze now focused and determined as he turned to Bai Yi.