Chapter 60: The Demon Cult’s Bounty Mission

As evening fell, Song Qi returned to the Endless Snowfield Settlement.

The sky gradually dimmed. The town, sparsely populated during the day, became lively as many professionals returned at night.

Song Qi went back to the inn, dropped into a chair, and casually flipped open the menu.

"Waiter, I'd like to order!"

"A serving of rice, a plate of stir-fried beef, and a beggar's chicken!"

"Hurry up, I've been hungry all day!"

"Of course, please wait a moment," the waiter nodded and turned toward the kitchen.

In just a few minutes, the dishes were served. Although the taste wasn't particularly outstanding, Song Qi still devoured the food ravenously. It was his first time in the wild, and due to inexperience, he had set out without bringing any food. After starving all day, anything tasted delicious.

After demolishing half a beggar's chicken, three bowls of rice, and a plate of stir-fried beef, Song Qi finally felt restored.

"I'm full, burp~~"

"Check, please!"

He contentedly rubbed his belly, patted it, and was just about to get up to settle the bill. But just as he finished paying, he suddenly noticed several new notices resembling bounties pinned to the central board in the lobby.

Frowning, he walked over.

"Waiter, what's this?"

"Sir, these are private bounty missions for the settlement," the waiter patiently explained. "Generally, these are posted by individuals who pay for them, then reviewed and guaranteed by the settlement leader before being made public. Although they're unofficial, since Elder Liu—the settlement leader—acts as guarantor, there's rarely any trouble with payment."

Song Qi nodded in understanding and turned his attention to one of the bounty notices.

It was a brand-new notice, displaying photos of four professionals and a storage ring marked with a plum blossom imprint.

The mission was straightforward:

[Private Bounty Mission:]

[Members of our team lost contact this afternoon, and a crucial item is missing. We are willing to pay handsomely for any reliable information.]

[Team members and the storage ring are pictured above.]

[Verified information will be rewarded with 100,000 to 1,000,000 credit points, depending on importance.]

[If anyone has found the storage ring, we are also willing to provide the precise location of a legendary artifact as an additional reward upon its return.]

[Interested parties may contact the settlement leader directly; no need to interact with us.]

Song Qi squinted at the photos atop the notice.

These four people were the very same cultists from the Order of Demon Worship he had dealt with that afternoon. The ring was the storage ring worn by the red-robed mage.

"Is this a bounty set by other cultists from the Order of Demon Worship?"

"Those four only died this afternoon, yet the cult received word almost immediately?"

"That suggests the cult must have some way of monitoring the life and death of their members."

"But from the wording of this mission, it seems they're not too concerned about the deaths of those four, and are far more interested in the ring."

"For a single storage ring, they're willing to divulge the location of a legendary artifact?"

Song Qi stroked his chin, falling into deep thought.

After all, the value of a legendary artifact was measured in billions! For instance, the [Seven Deadly Sins: Envy] in Song Qi's possession—if he chose to sell it, it would fetch at least a billion credit points. Even if he kept it, it would still be immensely useful.

"And to allay any concerns, they've even arranged for the settlement's most respected leader to serve as intermediary, so both parties can complete the deal without direct contact."

"How... considerate."

Clearly, they realized Song Qi now knew their identities and deliberately offered a solution.

In other words, if Song Qi wished, he could secretly hand the ring to the settlement leader tonight and obtain the precise location of the legendary artifact.

The information on a legendary artifact—even if he didn't pursue it himself, auctioning it off would easily net him tens of millions of credit points.

Isn't that as good as getting tens of millions for free?

He couldn't deny he was tempted.

So he decided...

To go upstairs and sleep!

What?

Why didn't he take the mission?

What a joke! Is tens of millions of credit points a lot? Well, yes, it's quite a sum. But the point isn't whether the money is a lot, it's that Song Qi didn't think it was worth taking such a risk for a few million credits.

Who knew what traps might lie in wait? Who could say whether the settlement leader was in league with them?

Song Qi was certain that, with his talent and hard work, his future achievements would far surpass anything a few million credits could buy!

"Still, this bounty notice does bring some good news—the cultists from the Order of Demon Worship apparently have no idea what I look like."

"If they did, they wouldn't need to post a bounty and risk alerting me. They could just ambush me outside the settlement."

"So I'd better not do anything out of the ordinary and risk attracting attention."

"Just wait honestly for tomorrow's bus back," he decided.

Song Qi returned to his room and locked the door behind him. After a moment's thought, he realized that wasn't secure enough.

Snap!

He snapped his fingers, and Lu Bu materialized instantly in the room.

"Just in case, Lu Bu, I'll need you to stand guard tonight," he instructed.

Lu Bu did not complain; instead, his spirit seemed to lift.

"Rest assured, my lord. I, Lu Bu, shall not fail you!"

......

Midnight.

Outside the Endless Snowfield Settlement...

"Damn it! Who are you people?!"

"Why are you attacking our squad?!"

A wounded assassin, blood dripping from his lips and half his body shattered, fled desperately toward the settlement, panic written on his face.

Several professionals pursued relentlessly behind him.

"Drop the act! Hand over the ring!"

"Sneaking out of the settlement in the middle of the night, heading toward the city—who else could it be but you?!"

"Hand it over quickly, and we'll grant you a swift end."

Hardly had the words fallen—

Boom!

A massive fireball erupted, smashing into the assassin's back with blinding speed.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood, half his body charred to cinders, yet dared not falter for even a second.

"What ring? I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Fighting between professionals is strictly forbidden among humans!"

"How dare you ambush a fellow professional—such vile conduct! Aren't you afraid Elder Liu or the City Lord will have you hunted down?!"

"Hunted? Elder Liu? Ha!"

The pursuers seemed thoroughly unimpressed, unmoved in the slightest.

Seeing this, the assassin realized words would be useless. Gritting his teeth, he dragged his battered body onward in a desperate bid to escape.