Summoning the Holy Sword
chapter-200

In the Dragon Soul Continent, there wasn’t much ‘entertainment’ for the people at dusk. When evening fell, nobles would usually pass the time in a drinking party, mingling and laughing throughout the night. Whereas for the commoners, they could only afford the cheaper beer in pubs. Those with wives would spend time at home, and as for the bachelors, their only choice was to find night services from brothels.

Glorious Star was one of the many venues to provide warmth for these bachelors. But it differed from most other low-class brothels, as the place largely serves rich customers. Their furnishings and decorations were grand and proper. And from the exterior, you’d never guess that this was a place for ‘dirty businesses’, but rather a high-class inn instead.

Back in the game, players also visited such venues. Of course, the bulk of them held filthy motives when doing so. Some of the brazen ones unabashedly slapped their money on the table and gestured to the waitress, telling them to ‘give them your best one.’ And after receiving the money, the NPC would bring the player to the ‘special VIP room’ upstairs.

For the players, the first time was like a thrilling rollercoaster experience. All sorts of nasty deeds ran through their minds. Despite being unsure of how VR NPCs would offer them their ‘special services’, but even if they couldn’t physically touch them, lap dances or stripteases would be adequate — for the sake of the experience, of course. Furthermore, since this was just a game, they needn’t worry about authorities raiding the venues.

Once they arrived at the much anticipated ‘special VIP room,’ they would immediately close the door, sit down on the couch, face a stage with a curtain drawn, and wait for the show to start in excitement.

Thump, thump, thump. Akin to a rollercoaster ride at its peak, their heartbeats raced with anticipation. But, alas, when the curtain fell, what greeted them was a huge naked river crab, which stood in the middle of the stage, waving its claws side-to-side towards the player…

Of course, the players were left dumbstruck. All their hopes and expectations, though filthy, were dashed. Naturally, they didn’t let the matter drop just like that, and they immediately took to official forums to rant. However to their dismay, the official reply they received from the game company was, “Due to the law and legislation, we cannot….”

Since the developers said that it was so… what else could the players say? They could only give up and forget about it.

Though afterward, the game company expressed their goodwill by compensating the players with a treasure chest monster instead of a river crab, but to the players, it just wasn’t the same…

As Rhode stood at the entrance of the Glorious Star, he couldn’t help but reminisce the interesting event in the past. But that was in the game, and the game company HAD to replace the women with stripteasing river crabs or else they would face legal backlash. Presently, the world was real, and he needn’t worry about meeting the river crab in the ‘special VIP room’ — but nevertheless, the purpose of this visit wasn’t to make up for the ‘loss of content’ in the game.

“Greetings, esteemed Sir.”

A woman quickly walked up to him. It was that lady from the market earlier this morning. Rhode’s outfit wasn’t any different from before, with his cloak still concealing his face. The woman’s appearance differed slightly though. She wore lighter makeup and adorned a gorgeous evening dress, which further emphasized her delicate waistline and beauty. Seeing Rhode’s arrival, the woman smiled and bowed politely to him. Rhode gave a slight nod to return the gesture.

“Please come with me.”

Without saying anything else, the woman spun around gracefully and led Rhode into the building. This well-dressed woman appeared to possess a high status in this place. When they entered through the front door, the guard glanced at the sword sheathed on Rhode’s waist and tried to stop him. However, when the woman coughed, the guard immediately retracted his hand. Clearly, this woman’s identity wasn’t ordinary.

However, Rhode didn’t think much about it because he wasn’t here to meet her.

After entering the building, he realized that the lights were fairly dim. Paired with a soft melody in the background, the lighting created an oddly warm atmosphere. Rhode didn’t linger for long and left after stealing some glances at the nearby rooms. It was clear that this place wasn’t the average low-class brothel, not all the rooms had naked female dancers flirting with men with the doors wide open.

Rhode had initially thought that the woman would take him to the ‘special VIP room.’ He didn’t expect her to lead him to a dark corner of the lounge. After her job was done, she left the room in a hurry.

Rhode casually scanned his surroundings before finally resting his eyes on a man sitting on a couch in front of him.

“Greetings, Mr. Shawn.” Rhode sat down on a couch opposite the man.

“Well met, Mr. Rhode.”

‘Shadow’ Shawn, the leader of the Dark Fang mercenary group. He donned a similar outfit to Rhode, with the only prominent difference being his pale white mask, which reflected the glow of the candelabrum on the table. Shawn made a casual nod as an acknowledgment to Rhode’s greeting, but Rhode wasn’t too mindful of that.

“To be honest, I was quite surprised to receive your invitation. But I’d hoped that you would have better standards in selecting your messenger, and also not to trouble my men,” Rhode said as he crossed his legs.

He didn’t feel any pressure when faced with this cold-hearted killer. He casually reached for the burgundy glass cup and poured himself a drink. At the same time, he grumbled with discontent, which was clearly audible to Shawn. However, Shawn merely smiled and shook his head.

“Salina is my assistant, and sometimes, she tends to be slightly cranky. As a killer, this is something unacceptable. I think it’s time to change this shortcoming of hers… As for her offending your people, I formally apologize, Mr. Rhode.”

“You don’t have to apologize; I was just saying.”

Rhode gestured with his hand and leaned back against the soft couch, looking the man with caution and curiosity. He had made no contact with Dark Fang mercenary group before, and neither did they have any past conflict with him. So why did Shawn take the initiative to look for him?

“Let us go straight to the point… Mr. Shawn. What exactly did you find me for?”

Shawn didn’t immediately answer. Instead, he remained silent for a moment, and said, “Mr. Rhode, if I recall correctly, you and your mercenary group will be attending the mid-summer festival in two months time.”

“That’s right.”

Rhode nodded. He wasn’t surprised that Shawn was aware of this. After all, the Mercenary Association had approached the top three mercenary group leaders on this. However, Hiller had rejected, and Shawn intentionally avoided them after hearing about it. Now that he had personally sought out Rhode to discuss on this, what did he want?

“So then, I hope you will be mindful of someone called Carody.”

“Carody?”

Rhode frowned. He swiftly searched his memory for this person.

“Carody Custer?”

“You know of him?”

Shawn was slightly awed with Rhode’s broad knowledge. Although the mask had concealed his expression, his somewhat raised tone in contrast to his usual deep voice betrayed him. However, Rhode didn’t elaborate further and simply shrugged.

“If you are referring to the Carody that led the ‘Black Blade’ secret troops under the Country of Light parliament, then yes, I have heard of his name.”

“Heard of?”

Shawn stared at Rhode; his eyes revealed a mocking expression. After a moment, he sneered.

“So much for ‘secret troops’ eh? If a mercenary of Munn Kingdom could negligently discover the name of the commander of the parliament’s secret troops, then it seems like those old bastards who can only fight with their tongues are really useless. Humph, but it’s fine. Since you know his identity, then you should catch my drift, Mr. Rhode.”

“If I’m not mistaken, you mean that Carody will appear in the mid-summer festival?” Rhode questioned as raised his eyebrows in suspicions, “But Mr. Shawn, what has this got to do with me?”

“I’m not too sure about the exact details, Mr. Rhode. According to a report that I received a few days ago, the Country of Light had already prepared the ‘Black Blade’ in attempt to strike you down during the mid-summer festival… Clearly, you must have had somehow foiled the plans of those good for nothing idiots.”

“During mid-summer festival?”

Rhode’s expression sunk but his tone remained calm.

“Yes, and according to the intelligence I received, he will disguise as a mercenary of a certain guild, and stage a ‘death by accident’ during the competition. This way he wouldn’t need to be investigated and receive punishments, and furthermore, he wouldn’t attract the attention of Munn, nor damage the bilateral relations between both countries… Even though I feel that there’s already nothing much to sustain both countries’ relationships….”

“I appreciate your reminder, Mr. Shawn.”

Rhode didn’t make any expression, but deep inside him, he had already memorized this information to heart. Rhode wasn’t surprised with the intel that Shawn provided, as it was true that Rhode had utterly destroyed all the preparations set in Paphield Region by the Country of Light. Whether it was for revenge, or to silence him from revealing their secret, the parliament would never let him go easily. It seems like Rhode’s prediction was on point. The Country of Light couldn’t tolerate him any longer.

The Black Blade was only one of the secret forces of the parliament. Frankly, they weren’t strong. According to the level system back in the game, most of its members were between level 30 to 40, and Carody’s level was similar to Sereck. If it were way before, Rhode would have unquestionably lost to Carody. But now, although he couldn’t say that he would guarantee a victory, as long he was well prepared, Carody wouldn’t be a threat to his life.

However…

“Mr. Shawn, while I appreciate your timely reminder, I think the purpose of you inviting me here shouldn’t be just reminding me of this simple matter.”

“That’s for sure.”

The killer nodded slightly and admitted to Rhode’s conjecture. Then, without warning, his voice suddenly turned deep, unveiling his icy-cold killer intent.

“I have a request… Mr. Rhode. Once you meet him at the mid-summer festival, I hope will show no mercy. If you can successfully kill him, then I can guarantee you that, we the Dark Fang, will unconditionally fulfill a wish of yours… any wish that you want.”

Hearing this, Rhode was unexpectedly surprised.

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Rhode remained calm as he assessed the masked killer in front of him with a stoic expression.

“Mr. Shawn, I’m not a curious person.” Rhode shook his head, “But even so, I need to ask you this question — since you are willing to pay such a big price, why not do it yourself?”

Shawn paused for a while; then he answered with resent in his voice, “… Because I’m unable to get near him.”

“Magic is a very troublesome thing. I think you of all people should understand this point, considering that you have a mage in your group. Carody is terrified of my revenge, so he acquired a unique magical item which would alert him to my presence once I get near him. It’s not as though I hadn’t tried, but I failed every single time. So…”

“So you hope I could do it for you.”

Rhode didn’t hate it even though Shawn intended to use him. While he wasn’t interested in the grudge between Shawn and Carody, since Carody belonged to the Country of Light, then killing him would only bring him additional benefits. And doing so makes him feel good… Yes, that was the most important reason to Rhode.

Rhode respected his opponents, but not traitors. He could still endure the Country of Darkness’s invasion, but he would never accept the cowardly Country of Light’s surrender. During the battle between the two countries, the Country of Light gave up shortly and offered compensation to the Country of Darkness. But the wealth they had wasn’t enough to stop the Country of Darkness from invading, and in the end, they decided to give up the Light Dragon in order to protect themselves. According to their reasoning, they felt that the neverending fight between light and darkness was an issue, thus, they wanted to end it once and for all by handing over the Light Dragon.

What is this? Is this what a human with average intelligence would do?

At the birth of the nations, the first Light Dragon elected the parliament and gave them the authority to run the country while she would lay low. According to her, this was a country built by her people, so they should decide which direction to move toward to. As long they bear the heavy responsibility of developing a nation, their country would prosper in both peace and security.

The Dark Dragon thought otherwise. He felt that he, as one of the five creator dragons, and as the leader of the Country of Darkness, should bear the duty of guiding his people towards the future. In his eyes, these mortals were too shortsighted and childish. They could only see in the present, and not the future. If they were to lead a country, then one day, they would eventually lose themselves in the ocean of time. Therefore, the Dark Dragon felt that the Light Dragon’s decision to pass the authority to her people was a cowardly and timid move.

Of course, this was just a clash of ideology and there weren’t any contradictions that couldn’t be harmonized. According to the internet about the five creator dragons, they were harsh with their words, but they never moved against each other using physical means.

However, as time passed year after year, the Dragon Soul’s successor changed from one to another, and their ideology began to shift as well. The Country of Light and Dark had countless of conflicts in the meantime. As the Country of Light saw how powerful the Country of Darkness came to be, they grew terrified. They were afraid that one day, the successor of the Light Dragon’s soul would be like the Dark Dragon’s successor, who stole back the authority from its people.

Because of fear, they began sowing their treacherous seeds of evil. Using their authority, they started to brainwash the local populace about the unimportance of the Light Dragon’s impact on their country and the continent. Thus, in the present, most citizens didn’t know what the Light Dragon signified and how vital its presence was to the land. At most, they knew that the sky was the symbol of the Light Dragon, no one knew what was going to happen after losing it.

Meanwhile, the Country of Darkness emphasized the importance of necessity and existence of the Dragon Soul to its people, explaining to them the reason why they could live peacefully on this continent. Because of the Dragon Soul’s power, it was able to regulate the chaos energy which restored order to the world. Of course, the Country of Light loathed it and refuted this belief. They thought that the Dark Dragon wanted to utilize propaganda to strengthen itself, so it purposely proclaimed that to claim its rights to dictate over the country.

On the other hand, the successors of the Light Dragon didn’t have any power nor authority. To put it nicely, they were like flowers in the greenhouse — but realistically, they were like pets who were raised by the parliament, only to be summoned when needed.

Later on, Lydia’s method of ruling the Munn Kingdom made the Country of Light fearful. They were afraid that their people would admire their way of ruling, and request for the Country of Light to reform so that the Light Dragon would recover its power. If that happened, their hard work and effort to brainwash the populace would be undermined.

This made Rhode suspicious. He speculated that the reason why the parliament would use such an idiotic rationale to justify the surrender of the Light Dragon was due to a pact with the Country of Darkness. The Country of Darkness might have offered to give these parliament members their rightful authority after obtaining part of Country of Light’s domain. These old geezers from the parliament held no regrets in selling their dignity and glory of the country to cling on to their seats.

When players accepted the quest to defend against the Dark Dragon’s invasion, even when they completed their quest, the fate of the country was already sealed. However, after Rhode’s guild destroyed the Country of Light’s parliament and led the players to rebel against the Country of Darkness, the Player Alliance immediately displayed unexpected unobstructed progress without interference from the remnants of the parliament. They reached all the way to the heart of the Country of Darkness and eventually wiped out everyone.

There were only two possibilities to this situation. First, either the parliament was too incompetent, which would only increase the burden on the players, or they had purposely used up their strength just to favor the future leader.

If it was the former, it wouldn’t be that bad, but if it was the latter, then it was unforgivable.

In other words — the parliament must die.

So, with regards to Shawn’s request, Rhode approved it. He was even grateful for Shawn’s warning, Although Rhode was already prepared for the Country of Light, if someone were to provide additional information about his enemies, that would be better than wading through the river and groping at stones all by himself, wasn’t it?

“I understand what you meant now.”

Rhode’s expression remained the same despite agreeing with Shawn. After all, the other party was requesting for help, and if he seemed to be overly passionate, he might be taken advantage of next time. To Rhode, this was a mission. And since it was a mission, he should squeeze every single drop out of it, which suited his identity.

Rhode’s stance on the matter caught the attention of Shawn. Frankly, ever since the two of them met, Shawn felt that this young man was becoming increasingly mysterious. At the Mercenary Association meeting, Rhode displayed the strategic side of him. However, Shawn was very clear that this young man was a steadfast man under the veil of arrogance. Now it seemed that his steadiness had gone a step further beyond Shawn’s initial judgment. Even so, Rhode wasn’t the least bit worried, and not a sign of worry was on his face. As a killer, Shawn was an expert in examining the expressions of people, so he could verify that when he mentioned the Country of Light, Rhode’s calmness wasn’t fake and was genuine.

Of course, the killer didn’t know that Rhode had already wiped out the whole of Country of Light back in the game. So, naturally, Rhode didn’t experience much shock when mentioned about these things.

Shawn was certain of what Rhode was thinking, so he didn’t hesitate to extend his arm. In a flash, a black dagger appeared on his palm.

“Mr. Rhode, this is my ‘Black Ivory’.” Shawn said as he placed the dagger on the table, “It served me for many years and has always been a deadly weapon. I’ll give it to you now as a deposit… and furthermore, I guarantee that in the future, if you require intelligence reports, we the ‘Dark Fang,’ will provide this service to you for free.”

Rhode nodded.

Although Dark Fang was just a mercenary group, they seem to resemble a hitman organization. The fact that they could gather secret intel from the Country of Light proved their strength in this field. If Rhode could acquire their help, then it would naturally be an advantage for the Starlight guild in the future.

However, Rhode’s ambition didn’t stop here. But he knew that some things shouldn’t be brought to light now.

“I hope we will have a pleasant cooperation.”

Rhode said as he extended his right arm.

Shawn glanced at Rhode’s outstretched arm and calmly shook on it.

“Yes… of course. Pleasant cooperation.”