After making his purchase, Mark stayed for a while to chat with Max. He wanted to say hello to Alfred, but he was busy with something.
An hour later, Mark stood up. "I'll go first. If you want to inform Sir Jason about my encounter with the Iron Fist Gang, come to me first. You can find me at the Mystic Cloud Inn."
Max nodded. "Alright. You should be careful. They might be waiting for you somewhere in the village."
Hearing this, Mark smiled. "I will be fine."
Max sent him off after warning him a few more times.
Mark spent 9500 Orbes to purchase the Ash Bear Scabbard and the Malicious Fire Tiger Sword. His wealth immediately dropped to 78,180 Orbes and his ranking in the Wealth Leaderboard also dropped significantly.
Mark cautiously headed to the Mystic Cloud Inn. His eyes kept on darting around his surroundings, checking if someone was lurking in the shadows.
When he safely arrived at the inn, Mark heaved a sigh of relief.
He noticed that the receptionist was the blonde-haired woman. Although she was already respectful to him, he no longer treated her warmly. Whenever he spoke to her, he would keep a cold attitude which made the girl regret her actions.
To his surprise, the 50% discount was still active so he only paid 175 Orbes for a week of stay in the inn.
After getting inside his room, Mark equipped the Malicious Fire Tiger Sword and the Ash Bear Scabbard. He couldn't equip two items of the same type, but he still didn't discard his Ordinary Sword. He decided to keep it. He would use his Malicious Fire Tiger Sword if the situation is dire. The sword was very flashy and it would certainly attract unwanted attention if he used it too often.
Player IGN: Wolf of the Grassland
Cultivation: Body Strengthening Third Level
Physique: Mortal
Qi: 3/300
Wealth: 78,005
Vitality: 3.7
Endurance: 6.8 —> 8.1
Strength: 3.8 —> 5.1
Stamina: 3.7
Speed: 3.5
Spirit: 4.9
Cold Resistance: 1.3
Heat Resistance: 1.3
Damage: 0 —> 16
Seeing his stats, Mark felt more comforted. He was no longer that worried about the Iron Fist Gang. According to Max, the strongest person in the gang was on the same level as Sir Jason, a Body Strengthening Third Level cultivator. Even if there was a difference in their combat experience, Mark was confident that he could survive if he encountered that person.
"When should I go back to that secret tunnel?" Mark pondered deeply. He had a feeling that the item hidden in that tunnel was a valuable treasure. If he could find it, his cultivation would increase by leaps and bounds and he might even find a place in the top 10 of the Cultivation Leaderboard.
Thinking about this, Mark felt tempted, but after thinking carefully, he decided to put this plan on hold. The Iron Fist Gang was getting restless and there might be conflict between them and Jason's group. As Jason's friend, it would be too despicable to leave just like that. When he was still a new cultivator, Jason and the others helped him immensely and even treated him well. Now that he has some strength, he vowed that he would help them overcome this challenge.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Mark was surprised when he heard the knocking on his door. He stood up from his seat and opened the door.
It was the blonde-haired receptionist.
"Sir, Elder Wilcon would like to speak with you."
Hearing this, Mark furrowed his eyebrows. He wondered why the kind elder was looking for him.
The blonde-haired receptionist didn't know why Elder Wilcon was looking for this man, but she knew that her career would be over if the old gentleman found out that she had disrespected the man in front of her.
"Alright. Lead the way." Mark replied with a calm voice.
The blonde-haired receptionist nodded and made a 'this way' gesture to him. "Elder Wilcon is in his office. I'll take you there."
Mark didn't say anything and just nodded to her.
The receptionist brought him to the topmost floor. Other than the elder's office, the accommodations of the workers were also on this floor.
Elder Wilcon's office was the largest and most well-decorated room in the building.
At this moment, the elderly gentleman was sitting behind his desk, looking at him with a light smile. There was also a beautiful girl standing behind him. She was probably his personal maid or assistant.
The blonde receptionist bowed at the old man. "Elder Wilcon, I've brought him here." She said with a respectful voice.
"You may leave." Elder Wilcon waved his hand.
The receptionist bowed once more before she left the office. She took a fleeting glance at Mark before she stepped out of the office.
Elder Wilcon gestured for Mark to sit down. "Your name is Wolf, right?"
Mark took his seat and nodded. He wasn't surprised that the other party knew his alias. With his authority in the village, he only needs to speak a few words to know his identity.
"Then I'll call you Wolf." Elder Wilcon sized him up with his gaze.
Only a few days passed since they last met, but Wolf felt different. Last time, he was like a newborn calf. He observed Wolf when he entered the office and the first thing he noticed was his confident gait. Elder Wilcon didn't know how such drastic change happened in just a few days.
Mark nodded his head.
"You must be wondering why I called you here, but you can rest assured. This is something that would benefit you." Elder Wilcon said as he gestured to the woman behind him.
The woman bowed to him and left.
Mark stared at her briefly before turning his gaze back to Elder Wilcon. "Can you elaborate on it for me?"
Elder Wilcon adjusted his sitting posture before he responded. "Next month, my daughter has to return to the city of Dipmore west from here. I'd like you to escort her on her way back to the city."
Mark was dumbfounded when he heard this. He had seen Dipmore on the map of Western Capeland. It was a big city and was one of the most popular cities in the province. "E-Elder… Why entrust your daughter to me? I'm not even that strong." He said this to test if the elder was aware of his current strength.
Elder Wilcon chuckled as he shook his head. "I owe Jason a favor and the guy asked me to give this mission to you. This mission was supposed to be carried out by him, but he insisted on giving it to you."
Mark was moved when he heard this. He never thought that Jason would be so good to him. This was a free pass to go to a renowned city!
There were many opportunities in the city and they also had more cultivation resources. Unlike Greenwood Village where resources were scarce, Dipmore was like a holy land. He heard that cities had Mystic Stones in the market, a crystal-like stone that contains Qi. It was said that you can increase your cultivation speed by absorbing the Qi in this magical stone.
Mark couldn't find such a thing in the village and even if there was one, people would not be willing to sell them. It was that valuable!
It was difficult to find a place in the city especially if you don't have a backing. Mark couldn't believe that Jason would give this opportunity to him.
Thinking about this, Mark became even more determined to help Jason.
"This…" Mark still couldn't process his thoughts.
Elder Wilcon smiled kindly. "You don't have to be worried about your safety on the journey. There will be other cultivators who will join you on this trip. It doesn't matter if you are a Body Strengthening First Level cultivator."
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Mark turned his head and saw that it was the elder's maid.
She was pushing a cart with a pot of tea and two teacups.
"By the way, I haven't introduced you yet. This is my youngest daughter, Amira Wilcon." Elder Wilcon said.
Mark almost fell off his chair. He thought that this girl was the elder's maid. It turns out that she was actually his daughter!
Mark secretly observed this cold-looking girl. She was quite young and was probably in her late teens. She was beautiful. She could be a famous actress in the real world.
Amira politely nodded at Mark.
"Greetings, Miss Amira." Mark greeted her respectfully. She might be young, but she was the daughter of Elder Wilcon. He couldn't afford to offend her.
"What do you think, Wolf? If you arrive safely in Dipmore, my family will handle your accommodation and you will also receive a big reward." Elder Wilcon didn't mind giving this opportunity to Wolf. He valued favors and this was the best he could do for Jason whom he owed a debt of gratitude.