For many awakened individuals living in the Shattered Sea region, a significant event had recently transpired.
The assassin organization "Yin Sha Ge" (Hidden Kill Pavilion), renowned in the dark world, had suffered a grievous blow, losing a vital limb. Despite the presence of Yin Sha Ge's top-tier assassins, the massive exodus of mid and low-ranking members plunged the organization into decline. Other major assassin factions in the Shattered Sea seized this opportunity, aggressively vying for Yin Sha Ge's market share.
The reasons behind Yin Sha Ge's fragmentation were a subject of wild speculation among various powers and strong individuals, yet none could ascertain the inside story.
While some powerful figures had indeed witnessed the defeat of Yin Sha Ge's leader at the Burning Fire Chamber of Commerce that day, their numbers were negligible when spread across the entire Shattered Sea region.
These individuals had their own lives and responsibilities. Whether out of fear of Yin Sha Ge's leader or the Burning Fire Chamber of Commerce, they were unlikely to disseminate such sensitive information casually.
This led to a situation where the more the strong ones speculated, the more their curiosity grew.
Curiosity about the origins of the Burning Fire Chamber of Commerce.
The assassin organization, or rather, bounty organization, now under the Burning Fire Chamber of Commerce and renamed "Shi Ming Gong Hui" (Mission Guild), also attracted the attention of numerous factions.
However, as expected, despite the Burning Fire Chamber of Commerce's considerable strength in forcefully taking over various large strongholds, a shortage of direct personnel remained a fatal weakness.
Within just half a month, numerous strongholds were compromised, and more assassins were lost.
"Not only that," one remarked, "rumor has it that the Burning Fire Chamber of Commerce isn't taking in all of Yin Sha Ge's remaining assassins. They're only accepting a select few, with most being dismissed... This Burning Fire Chamber of Commerce is far too picky and arrogant."
"And that's not all," another added, "the Mission Guild is also incredibly selective about assassination bounties. Many assassination targets are perplexing; even Yin Sha Ge, ranked first among assassin organizations, wouldn't dare be this picky."
This approach seemed utterly foolish to many.
The Mission Guild, founded using Yin Sha Ge's foundation, had a remarkably high starting point, poised to become a super-force with influence spanning the entire Shattered Sea.
Yet, this self-destructive course of action caused the Mission Guild's influence to plummet.
In another moment, once the initial excitement faded, they might not even be considered a major power.
Fang You, who was remotely overseeing operations, was fully aware of this.
As the newly established Mission Guild's business volume continued to slide, Qian Qiu was in a state of frantic distress, believing he had once again messed things up. In reality, all of this was within the projected scope.
Dismissing many assassins and abandoning most of their original assassination business was, to some extent, regrettable.
However, compared to business and earning Ghost Crystals, their bottom line was more important.
Bounty assassinations were acceptable, but only for those who deserved to be killed. The current Mission Guild, rather than being an assassin organization, was more akin to a bounty organization.
After all, the Mission Guild emerged from the Burning Fire Chamber of Commerce, which in turn emerged from the Xin Huo (Spark) Organization.
Xin Huo represented the spark of humanity, and its tenets could not be violated.
The dismissal of most assassins also adhered to this principle.
These assassins were scouted by Yin Sha Ge from various regions and trained from childhood. Their sole focus on combat skills resulted in severely warped moral compasses for most of them.
Those who were overtly anti-human were directly given a humane end.
The majority were dismissed, while the remaining few were sent back to the transit oasis for re-education, focusing on academic subjects. He also instructed Qian Qiu to attend these classes.
With a legendary figure like Qian Qiu serving as a role model, it was believed that other assassins would not dare to slack off.
(Qian Qiu: ???)
Under such circumstances, the operational status of the Mission Guild was naturally far from optimistic.
However, Fang You's interest in such an organization was not for the sake of earning Ghost Crystals. Yin Sha Ge's strongholds were scattered across most of the Shattered Sea region, forming a natural intelligence network.
Even super-forces and super-families with legendary figures at their helm were far inferior to Yin Sha Ge in terms of influence and intelligence capabilities.
Xin Huo's intelligence network was even weaker, less so than even the Great Oasis.
In this scenario, if they could absorb even 10% to 20% of Yin Sha Ge's network and integrate it, Xin Huo's intelligence system would experience a significant leap.
Especially since the Shattered Sea had connections to numerous major domains. With this region as the core, Xin Huo's influence could spread to dozens of major domains.
"The troublesome part is that Qian Mian's true form is already lurking near the Blood Emperor. Even if a clone of his/hers arrives in the Shattered Sea, there won't be much energy left for combat."
After all, a clone's combat power was significantly inferior to the main body. Qian Mian's clones might not even be able to defeat a Title Six Awakener. More importantly, unless it was a divine descent clone, other clones were merely water without a source, and their life energy was difficult to replenish.
Under such circumstances, Qian Mian could only play a supporting role.
Fortunately, Qian Mian's expertise was in support, and with the ability to steal thoughts and consciousness, no one could hide from him/her.
Yin Sha Ge's strongholds, assassins, and servants… all their secrets were being unearthed one by one.
This network was rapidly integrating, and once fully assimilated, Xin Huo's tentacles would extend to many parts of the Shattered Sea.
This alone was a massive profit.
It was essentially a free acquisition, thanks to the generous gift from Yin Sha Ge's leader.
"Furthermore, the reformed Mission Guild may not necessarily remain dormant."
...
...
Kakaje was a wealthy merchant living in the Da Mi Luan Archipelago.
Calling him a wealthy merchant was only in comparison to the vast majority of ordinary people and low-level awakened individuals. In the eyes of true powerhouses, Kakaje was still a nobody.
One day, Kakaje entered the archipelago region and arrived at a colossal city named "Jia Lan City."
Jia Lan City was also a super-force within the Da Mi Luan Archipelago, second only to Da Mi Luan City, which held administrative authority. Within Jia Lan City, there was a relatively large Mission Guild branch office.
With a sense of trepidation, merchant Kakaje entered the Mission Guild office, which he had scouted beforehand.
However, the place was unusually quiet. Whether it was for clients like him looking to post missions or for assassin mercenaries, there were very few people around. Even the staff at the counter numbered only three or four.
'Is this truly a large branch office?'
'I heard the Mission Guild's business was sluggish, but I never expected it to be this bad. In such a situation, will any assassins even take on orders?'
Kakaje hesitated.
But then he thought, since he had come this far, and it was not easy for him to make the trip to Jia Lan City, he couldn't just return without doing anything. Besides, it wasn't guaranteed that the Mission Guild would accept his commission.
He steeled his resolve and walked up to a counter.
"I... I want to post an assassination bounty."
"Certainly, dear. Please wait a moment, dear~"
The receptionist's cordiality eased Kakaje's nervousness. Moments later, he was led to a private room, equipped with a covert ritual array.
Posting an assassination bounty was, of course, anonymous to protect client privacy.
These procedures were similar to those of other assassin organizations.
However, would the Mission Guild accept this particular job?
"My... the target I wish to have assassinated is this person: Hei Feng Bao · Di Gai Si (Black Storm · Digas)."
"Please provide detailed information about the target. This will help us with our review and assassination."
"Oh, oh. Di Ges's level is roughly Six Awakening. His awakened ability is to summon a black storm, and it's said he can even transform into a storm… 25 years ago, Di Ges attacked a green oasis named 'Qing Yan' and massacred all thousands of men, women, and children. When I returned, all I saw were mountains of corpses and swarms of flies."
Kakaje clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead.
Alongside his anger, he felt an immense trepidation. This was because he had previously approached several assassin organizations, including Yin Sha Ge, but had been rejected by all of them.
To say he was rejected wasn't entirely accurate; precisely, the stakes he offered were insufficient.
He was a wealthy merchant, and through years of diligent work, he had accumulated hundreds of thousands of Ghost Crystals. It wasn't difficult to liquidate his assets for one to two million, but these Ghost Crystals were far too little to buy the life of a Six Awakener King.
He had used his connections to inquire and learned that assassinating a Six Awakener King often required more than just Ghost Crystals; it necessitated the exchange of interests between major powers.
However, Kakaje was merely a small-time wealthy merchant.
"Your bounty request has been accepted by our guild. Please proceed to the designated location to pay the commission fee."
Huh?
Kakaje blinked, stunned, and remained speechless for a long while.
...
Da Mi Luan City, First-Class Mission Guild Branch Office.
Several days later, when the Red-Haired Sword King returned to this location, he indeed found it much quieter.
The former Yin Sha Ge stronghold had been bustling with activity, a convergence of all sorts of people, filled with the smells of blood and decay.
The current Mission Guild branch office was desolate and quiet, with few people coming and going.
As the Red-Haired Sword King entered this quiet yet clean and refreshing office, he unexpectedly found the environment quite pleasant. It just didn't feel much like an underground stronghold anymore.
Yes, the Mission Guild referred to this place as a branch office.
He familiarized himself with the seating area and ordered a chilled Sprite – yes, since that day, this wasn't the first time the Red-Haired Sword King had visited. Each visit brought about significant changes, with increasing quietude being one of them, but the changes within were more pronounced than the external quietude.
This newly renovated lounge area was one of the changes.
As were the beverages.
Drinking a few cups on a hot summer day invigorated him completely. This was why the Red-Haired Sword King enjoyed coming here when he had free time – in the past, besides accepting and completing missions, he would never have frequented such places.
He glanced around. Not many others had discovered the wonderful beverages here, but there were still over a dozen people.
He felt a sense of joy, akin to having something he liked being recognized by others.
After all, this was a bounty organization's branch office. While resting, the Red-Haired Sword King casually browsed the available missions.
"There are indeed far fewer assassination missions, which is not surprising."
"However, escort missions, treasure hunting missions, errand missions, and other varied types of commissions are quite numerous? Combined, they are not much less than the previous assassination missions."
"It's just... can the Mission Guild handle so many commissions?"
The Red-Haired Sword King was only half right.
With the former Yin Sha Ge assassins alone, it was certainly impossible. Many assassins excelled at assassination, but being assigned as escorts or security guards was a challenge for them.
Assassins couldn't do it, but Xin Huo members could!
Currently, Blue Star was in a period of peace and tranquility, and many formal Xin Huo members complained about having too few missions and too much competition. They could venture into the gray mist areas as easily as returning home, and there weren't enough positions on Blue Star.
He therefore dispatched a batch to the Shattered Sea.
However, executing missions for extra income was secondary. More importantly, the process allowed for the collection of a great deal of intelligence, enriching Xin Huo's meager database and expanding the organization's influence.
The Red-Haired Sword King believed that given the current quiet state of the Mission Guild, few people would be accepting orders.
But upon closer inspection, he discovered something else.
"Not only are the mission rewards 30% higher than Yin Sha Ge's, but mission points can also be directly exchanged for rare items at the guild."
Yin Sha Ge offered nothing of the sort; rewards were solely in Ghost Crystals.
But here,
The Red-Haired Sword King's eyes widened as he meticulously browsed the exchangeable treasures, his breathing gradually quickening.
"They even have... they even have Water of Life available for exchange!"
"If I can accumulate a sufficient amount of Water of Life, the old injuries I sustained can heal!"
He immediately flipped back to the mission list.
It was time to become a mission fanatic!
...
Xing Luo Bay, Guild Branch Office.
Hei Dao (Black Blade), clad in black and carrying an epic battle saber, wearing a mask, slowly entered this stronghold.
That's right, Hei Dao, the working man, had once again emerged from retirement.
Due to the limited number of Six Awakener powerhouses in Xin Huo, Fang You had requested Hei Dao's assistance. Although only three of Hei Dao's phantom clones had arrived in the Shattered Sea, Hei Dao's true form was currently preparing for his Mythical Awakening.
His true form adjusting its state did not affect the efficiency of his clones' labor.
Hei Dao had once again ascended to the position of a gold-medal laborer.
Not only did he work himself, but he also managed a large number of laborers.
Upon returning to the branch office, without any rest, Hei Dao requested the mission records from the recent period. His gaze swept across them quickly, and after a moment, he fixed on one particular mission description and said coldly:
"Who approved this assassination mission?"
"It was... it was Deacon Sa Bi."
A brown-haired elder soon arrived. He was the highest-ranking servant remaining after the departure of Yin Sha Ge's management personnel, now granted the identity of Deacon, Sa Bi.
Seeing Hei Dao inquire about this particular mission, a flicker of panic flashed in the depths of the brown-haired elder's eyes. He raised his hand and then lowered it. After composing himself, he said:
"Esteemed sir, the matter is as follows. According to my investigations during this period, I discovered that this assassination target is not as upright as he appears. The crimes he has committed in secret are heinous. Therefore, I accepted this commission according to the regulations and reduced the handling fee by 50%."
"All my actions followed... followed the standardized procedures."
His tone was firm, with a hint of grievance.
However, the true emotions emanating from Sa Bi's surface thoughts as he spoke were undetectable by Hei Dao, who possessed the skill of 'Mind Stealing.'
Hei Dao's voice grew colder, like an arctic winter.
"Three days ago, Blackwater Puddle Tavern, five hundred thousand."
He didn't even need to specify the amount. As Hei Dao's chilling killing intent spread, Deacon Sa Bi's psychological defenses completely collapsed, and he confessed everything like a cascade of beans.
His eyes were vacant, and he slumped to the ground, his face filled with regret.
Witnessing this scene, Hei Dao's expression beneath his mask remained unchanged. He spoke coldly, "Take him away and deal with him according to the rules."
In just one month, Hei Dao and Qian Mian had purged a large portion of the corruption.
In the hearts of some, they were known as the Black-Clad Demon and the Faceless Demon. But to the majority, these two were decisive and incredibly mysterious titled powerhouses.
Purging the internal ranks, optimizing labor, and attracting employers.
The entire Mission Guild was quietly but rapidly transforming. Especially the fact that rare treasures could be exchanged with points had attracted many top Six Awakeners.
And the joining of these Six Awakeners allowed the guild to surpass Yin Sha Ge in terms of high-end commissions.
...
A certain location,
After two months of closed-door cultivation, Yin Sha Ge's leader, who had finally recovered most of his injuries, emerged from the depths of the oasis.
"What's the situation?"
"Reporting to Old Ancestor, due to the recent major upheaval, our Yin Sha Ge's income has dropped by 70%, and there are still many assassination bounties that cannot be processed in a timely manner."
A decrease in income made it difficult to support the vast family and himself.
Yin Sha Ge's leader sighed, but this was within his expectations. He had prepared for this before going into seclusion.
"What about the Burning Fire Chamber of Commerce?"
The Vice Pavilion Master's hesitation grew.
"Did the previous strategy not work?"
"Initially, the Mission Guild did lose a lot of assassins, but..."
The Vice Pavilion Master became increasingly indecisive.
"Speak!"
"But the Mission Guild quickly attracted a large number of freelance mercenaries. Now... now they have dominated the high-end market."
Huh?
Looking at the intelligence report, a guild stronghold that bore no resemblance to its former self, and the bustling scene both inside and outside the stronghold, Yin Sha Ge's leader fell into deep contemplation.
Could it be that he had been in seclusion for ten years?