The Shattered Sea, the Great Mi Lan Archipelago.
The sheer expanse of this region was difficult to measure, even from a mythical perspective. If one were to look down from the heavens, the wisps of gray fog here were considerably thinner than in other great domains. Beneath the fog lay islands as fine as sand, and beyond them, the churning, gray-black waves of the sea.
The black seabed hid endless dangers and terrors; this was the characteristic of the Shattered Sea. The islets floating on the surface, most of them the size of sand grains, were also gray-black. The land was desolate, with sparse, leafless dead trees, and within them, malevolent spirits roamed, emitting ear-piercing hisses like grinding teeth.
Yet, a few islands, amidst the gray-black desolation, had sprouted new green life—these were oases.
The Great Mi Lan Archipelago was the area within the Shattered Sea that boasted the most oases, with hundreds, even thousands, known. Those hidden from the outside world’s gaze were as numerous as fine sand.
Of course, the vast majority were small oases, serving as lairs for certain factions, or hidden retreats for families, and so on.
The assassin training base of the Hidden Kill Pavilion was the destination Qian Qiu was about to reach. It was also one of the higher-value compensation items from the Pavilion Master.
"Splash—"
Black and gray sea waves crashed violently against the shore. A wooden ship, thirty to forty meters long, was flying at an altitude of tens of meters above the sea, heading inland towards the island.
This vessel was an epic-grade peculiar artifact vehicle. However, compared to individual peculiar artifacts like weapons or armor, large vehicles were far more costly. They were essentially collections of dozens of peculiar artifacts. The materials required to build one were countless, and its value was no less than a legendary peculiar artifact.
The ship, naturally, was rented.
There was frequent trade between the major cities of the Shattered Sea, and some super merchant guilds offered ship rental services. However, rentals were categorized by class. Qian Qiu’s ability to rent an epic-grade large ship this time relied on the influence of the Burning Flame Merchant Guild.
He even received a slight discount by renting from the official merchant guild in Great Mi Lan City.
Even so, the price remained quite high.
If he were still a pathetic assassin, he wouldn't have been able to afford this.
"But my Burning Flame Merchant Guild is different. Not only are the benefits and salary high, but the rental fees for mission ships are also reimbursed. Look at my new boss, then look at you, old Pavilion Master. No wonder the Hidden Kill Pavilion gets worse day by day. It will eventually fall into your hands. Old Pavilion Master, you truly are extravagant!"
The Hidden Kill Pavilion Master’s mouth twitched.
The entire Hidden Kill Pavilion was his creation. What did he mean by falling into his hands? Did he not know how to speak? Extravagant... weren't you the cause of the extravagance!
He wanted to retort, but after considering for a moment, he realized he couldn't outfight or outspeak him. Fighting again would likely incur more compensation. He let out a cold snort and allowed Qian Qiu to chatter on, not uttering a single word.
After a long time, Qian Qiu’s throat grew dry.
There was no response!
The Hidden Kill Pavilion Master turned his head away, remaining silent. Even when Qian Qiu repeatedly mentioned ‘new boss’ and openly flaunted his new allegiance, the Pavilion Master’s expression didn't change. Who knew if the Pavilion Master had his hearing blocked.
A sigh, a pity.
But Qian Qiu was serious about reforming the Hidden Kill Pavilion. Low benefits and low wages were one reason for his defection, but not the main one. The root lay in the Hidden Kill Pavilion's modus operandi and philosophy.
Being an assassin was too tiring; being an oasis guardian was much better.
After flying into the island, the gray fog surrounding them soon dispersed completely. The ship landed on a small oasis.
This was the Hidden Kill Pavilion's assassin training base.
Or rather, one of them.
Qian Qiu looked around, and a sense of familiarity from his past memories washed over him.
Compared to when he left, this place had hardly changed. Low-rise buildings were nestled beside a small mountain; these were the dormitories for the young prospective assassins. Looking into the distance, he could still see small heads peeking out from the windows, which were barely half a foot wide, ordered to stay in the dormitories but unable to resist.
These were the faces of children no older than four or five years old.
The assassin training base did not only house children. From three to twelve years old, prospective assassins spent their time here. Only those who passed the assessment and graduated could obtain the lowest-level assassin status and leave.
Only the older ones dared not disobey orders and peek outside.
Besides these low-rise buildings, the most numerous were the training grounds: archery ranges, forest assassination training grounds, ruins training grounds, poison-making rooms, armories, enclosed combat arenas, and detention cells.
Qian Qiu was very familiar with all these places. The only unfamiliar one was a magnificent twenty-story tower located in the center of the entire base. Its exterior alone was vastly different from the low-rise buildings. This was the residence of the base’s 'managers' and also housed a great deal of information and data.
Qian Qiu took immediate control of this place.
The Hidden Kill Pavilion Master did not show himself, but with orders from the Supreme Pavilion Master, the process went smoothly, or rather, any minor ripples that occasionally arose were slapped down by Qian Qiu.
The Hidden Kill Pavilion Master, clad in a black robe, merely observed coldly.
Only after all the administrative personnel had left did he speak coldly, "The oasis has been handed over to you. May I leave now?"
He used a tone of certainty.
After all, this was stipulated in the contract.
Thus, Qian Qiu could only wave goodbye to the departing Hidden Kill Pavilion Master, "Farewell, old Pavilion Master. Come visit often when you have time. I will miss you."
The Hidden Kill Pavilion Master staggered while flying, perhaps his injuries acting up.
…
The oasis was taken over, and all administrative personnel had departed.
Apart from the assassins still in training, there were only a few hundred bewildered servants—there were no official assassins here. The administrative staff, including the experts stationed at the oasis and the instructors training the children, all came from the families the Hidden Kill Pavilion Master had established.
They were the true direct descendants of the Hidden Kill Pavilion.
These, naturally, were not included in the handover.
"Hmm, the first step is to occupy the oasis, transform it into a merchant guild stronghold. Then, what should I do next?"
Qian Qiu glanced at the mission description in his mind. However, the content was very concise, and he couldn't figure out the next arrangements for a while.
Well, last time, he messed up even when taking in a few dozen subordinates. Now, this oasis had thousands of young assassins. If he messed this up…
He envisioned a large "x" symbol on the mission interface and a scarlet "Unsatisfactory" rating. Qian Qiu shook his head vigorously.
Just as he was about to ask for the support staff assigned to him by his mentor, he turned around and saw that everyone had already started working. A few people walked into the grand tower, while the rest headed to the assassin dormitories, training grounds, and other areas, stabilizing the somewhat chaotic situation.
Wait, what about me?
Qian Qiu became conflicted. It should be a joy to stand still and get paid, but why did he feel uncomfortable seeing everyone busy while he was idle?
He couldn't figure it out.
Suddenly,
His gaze sharpened, focusing on a spot about ten meters away. The next second, he returned to his usual carefree demeanor as a "ding-dong" notification sounded in his mind, and the mission description changed slightly.
Not far away, the place he had vaguely sensed something was amiss began to distort in the sunlight, rippling like waves. After a moment, a graceful figure emerged from the ripples.
Black long hair, white long dress.
Qian Qiu's limited vocabulary struggled to describe her, but he knew she was an extremely powerful being who had crossed a vast distance.
A senior from the organization.
How many more powerhouses does our organization have!
As Qian Qiu exclaimed about the organization's might, Xiao Huan brushed her hair aside and looked at the familiar figure before her. "I bring the mentor's instructions. Hmm, you might not know me, but remember, I am the mentor's personal secretary."
She emphasized certain words.
Then, Xiao Huan straightened her expression, imitated her master's tone, and delivered the next phase of the operational plan.
"Most of the facilities in this training base will be renovated and will also be used as a training base for students in the future. For now, this will serve as a transit point, and with this as the core, we will gradually take over the Hidden Kill Pavilion's various secret strongholds and personnel."
"The mentor emphasized the need for speed. Otherwise, even with the contract guarantee, many personnel will be lost from the various strongholds, and some data may be destroyed."
According to the contract, the Hidden Kill Pavilion was ceding 60% of its strongholds and businesses as compensation to the Burning Flame Merchant Guild.
But whether the Burning Flame Merchant Guild could actually digest this 60% 'company share' was up to the guild itself. It was obvious that the Hidden Kill Pavilion would not pave the way for the Burning Flame Merchant Guild while paying compensation. In fact, many Hidden Kill Pavilion managers might deliberately create chaos.
This did not violate the contract.
Because, even though the Hidden Kill Pavilion Master issued an order, it was perfectly normal for mid-level and high-level personnel within such a large organization to secretly defy it. They needed to take over and quell dissent quickly.
But even if they could only digest 50%, 40%, or 30%, it would still be a big step for Xin Huo, which had no prior foundation.
The Hidden Kill Pavilion Master might feel he hadn't lost much, and thus, felt like he had gained. However, these might be exactly what Mentor Fang desired most.
"However, I originally wanted to use the popularity collection ritual to quickly upgrade this training base oasis to Lv4, but as expected, plans don't always go as expected."
This training base oasis did not trigger a panel prompt.
It was not recorded!
Previously, only Oasis One and Oasis Two had been incorporated, so he didn't have much experience. Fang You pondered the differences and gradually formed a guess.
The Star Fire and Burning Flame oases were both directly occupied, blank oases with clear ownership.
However, the assassin training base came from someone else.
And the thousands of people within this oasis currently might have zero sense of belonging or recognition towards the Burning Flame Oasis, far from the acceptable standard.
He guessed that he had to first make this training base his own before it could be incorporated.
Since he couldn't incorporate it now, Fang You couldn't descend through time and space, so he could only follow Xiao Huan's perspective into the tower.
This training base was also one of the Hidden Kill Pavilion's top-ranking important strongholds, storing a vast amount of materials and data.
The former were already being inventoried by Xin Huo's dedicated personnel, but after all, it was just one oasis stronghold. In the eyes of myths, it wasn't worth much.
Data was different.
"Found the master~!"
As Xiao Huan's divine sense spread out, secret rooms, compartments, and hidden vaults within the tower became transparent. Various documents recorded on parchment scrolls, hardcovers, bamboo slips, and carved stone tablets were drawn out by her divine sense, swirling and rotating around Xiao Huan's slender body.
She stood as if at the center of a storm, golden pupils flashing in her eyes. As her divine sense swept over them, the information in these documents turned into a massive amount of data, flowing into her eyes.
In one second, all information was recorded.
In two seconds, it was all organized, categorized, and transferred to Xin Huo's database.
After all, this base was not the Hidden Kill Pavilion's headquarters, so it didn't contain true core data. However, through Xiao Huan's big data retrieval, she quickly found many good things, and quite a few!
"This green-grade potion recipe comes from a major noble in a certain Xingluo Bay."
"This blue-grade ritual blueprint comes from a powerful individual in the Red Lotus Empire."
"And this... this... and this..."
"Ah, and this!"
Xiao Huan found a blue-grade peculiar artifact blueprint.
Blue peculiar artifacts, while not exceptionally rare, were not common. Master Wang Hammer had developed dozens, even hundreds, of blue peculiar artifacts. However, this blueprint was named 'Ring of Bright Light'!
It was a fog-dispelling peculiar artifact one tier higher than the Lamp of Bright Light! And it was something he had been looking for.
A great find!
He immediately sent the data to Master Wang, asking him to improve the blueprint using Mingliu crystals and existing information.
He then browsed through the spoils of this acquisition.
Given that the Hidden Kill Pavilion engaged in the assassin business and had assassinated many powerful individuals, they had collected a large number of various peculiar artifact blueprints and potion recipes.
Many of these held commercial potential.
"The Hidden Kill Pavilion didn't capitalize on business opportunities. Hmm, well, perhaps it's because the Hidden Kill Pavilion's infrastructure was poor, with too few blacksmiths and alchemists, making manufacturing impossible."
"In any case, all of this now belongs to my Xin Huo."
"It all belongs to us~!"
Xiao Huan also made a V-sign gesture!
Then she highlighted some particularly important intelligence for Fang You.
Several of these pertained to the 'hidden existence' that had been bothering him for a long time.
"The evil gods descended from the other shore, their gray breath engulfing the land and sky. The eternal and ancient gods perished in the divine war, and the world began to weep. The divine names of the past faded into the river of time, but if ■■■■■...."
"We firmly believe that the ancient gods did not perish just like that. Their majestic figures can still be seen in the cracks of space-time."
"I once entered a hidden place and met the ancient gods of the past."
"The ancient gods are no longer here, but hidden and ancient existences still watch over the mortal realm."
"The great Storm Goddess still slumbers, but will one day awaken and return."
"The Serpent of Infinity ■■■ Amber Elk ■■■ Mother of Nature ■■■ Old Man of Folly ■■■..."
This information was recorded on several broken gray stone slabs.
Whether it was true or false remained to be determined, but combined with the rumors he had previously collected, perhaps, probably...
"The water in this world is deeper than imagined."