Chapter 755: A Price To Pay, Two Moves
Izroth, "This offer will last for two weeks in-game time."
Since they hunted his people for six days, Izroth would make it so they had to suffer a similar fate for at least twice that amount of time!
Mariposa was taken aback by Izroth's request. She knew that he was not on good terms with the Headhunter Syndicate and their guild leader; however, she did not think that it had devolved to this point.
With the current conversation rate, 200 gold coins per kill was the equivalent of giving out approximately 35,000 RMB. What's more, there was no limit to the number of times one could claim this reward.
But, the fact that Izroth was willing to put out a bounty worth 10,000 gold coins, a value that roughly equaled 1,800,000 RMB, would cause a huge uproar. After all, even some larger guild would be reluctant to part with 10,000 gold coins just to claim the life of one individual.
If it were someone else making this request to her, Mariposa would have been hesitant to accept. That's because, in the end, she would be using her name as the guarantor. In other words, Mariposa was giving her word that the aforementioned rewards would be granted. If something went wrong, it could lead to her reputation being damaged and a great loss of face. If it was just that much, Mariposa could brush it off; however, with the present delicate situation in the Zi family, she was unable to afford any mishaps.
Nevertheless, Mariposa understood Izroth's character. Without a doubt, he was a man of his word; therefore, she was not worried whether or not Izroth would keep his promises. Not to mention, due to her initial investment in the Mystical Realm Palace, Mariposa received 10% of all profits from the shop. She knew better than anyone that Izroth had the funds available to support this endeavor.
However, for those who were more informed, they knew that the gold coins could only be considered a side bonus compared to the true prize.
"My Mystical Realm Palace will also owe them a favor."—to Mariposa, this favor was the most valuable reward. Even if one had 100,000 gold coins, it may not be enough to equal this single favor!
Mariposa was tempted to keep this information to herself and mobilize the entirety of Sleeping Gardenia to complete this task; however, it was just a fleeting thought. Since Izroth was personally making this request to her, how could she not carry it out properly?
Mariposa, "This will not be an issue, but are you certain this is the action you want to take? Once I put the order out and advertise this to every channel, it will be too late to take it back. I am sure I do not have to tell you this, but placing an active bounty on an entire top guild has never been done before. I cannot say for sure that some of the other top guilds will not see it as a form of provocation. Of course, my Sleeping Gardenia is willing to face the storm with you should it come."
Izroth knew that Mariposa's words were correct. If it were being done by his own hand, it could only be said that the top guild that fell was too weak. However, since Izroth was setting a bounty, there was a decent chance that a few of the top guilds would try to suppress this matter. To them, it may be seen as Izroth looking down on the top guilds and showing no face to their standing. But...
Izroth, "I appreciate your concern, guild leader Mariposa, but... If anyone dares to obstruct my path, I will consider them an enemy—no matter who they may be. There are certain lines that should not be crossed. Since the Headhunter Syndicate dared to take out assassination requests on my people and harm them, they will have to suffer a worse fate."
If it was just eliminating those of the Headhunter Syndicate, Izroth could more than manage by himself with his current strength. However, he wanted those from the Headhunter Syndicate to experience the same feeling of being hunted every waking moment—never knowing when a knife would end up in their back. Every time they left a safe zone, it should be with fear in their hearts!
Mariposa, "What did you just say?! Assassination requests?!"
Mariposa was shocked! No wonder he was prepared to go to such lengths to punish the Headhunter Syndicate! It also explained why his voice sounded so cold when he spoke about them.
Mariposa, "I always knew the people from the Headhunter Syndicate were a bunch of good for nothings, but I never thought they would stoop so low! Hmph, since it's like this and they were the first to strike, others will not blame you even if you use this method."
Mariposa, "By the way... Did they touch her..?"
Mariposa's voice turned ice-cold when she asked Izroth that question.
Izroth, "No. She was one of the few not targeted."
Of course, the person Mariposa was referring to was Zi Yi. It was no secret that Mariposa dotted on her younger sister. If they had gone after Zi Yi, Mariposa would not have hesitated to bring down the full wrath of Sleeping Gardenia to solve them—even if Izroth had never made his request!
...
A few moments passed as Izroth and Mariposa went over some of the finer details.
Mariposa, "I will send someone to sort things out with the ice queen. Then, if there's nothing else-"
Izroth, "Wait. Since you are doing me a service, naturally, I will not allow you to leave empty-handed. After all, I cannot have people say I only know how to take advantage of others."
Izroth, "Find me three materials of the same quality that can be used in pill crafting. The higher the quality, the better. However, they must all be of the same quality. I will say this now, it should not be anything less than ancient quality if you want the best results."
Ancient quality?! One had to know that even for top guilds, acquiring even a single ancient quality material was a difficult task, let alone three!
It was not as if Mariposa's Sleeping Gardenia had no ancient quality materials; however, the amount totaled less than ten and each was considered a great treasure. After all, even if one had the money to purchase ancient materials, they would still not necessarily be able to obtain them given that the demand was several times higher than the supply.
If it were anyone else, Mariposa would not have even entertained the thought of giving away three precious ancient quality materials; however, who was Izroth? Not only was he the owner of the Mystical Realm Palace, but also the infamous Pill Emperor! If he needed ancient materials, didn't that mean he was going to craft a god-like pill for her?!
Mariposa, "I will have someone send the materials to your Mystical Realm Palace within the hour."
Izroth, "Have them deliver it to Xanaharpe. I will be heading there soon."
Mariposa, "Xanaharpe? Alright, that should not pose any problems. Are you going there to participate in the raid on the Night Lord's Crypt?"
The news about the upcoming raid on the Night Lord's Crypt was all over the RML forums and dedicated RML video channels. Many of the players who were stationed too far away from where the raid was taking place were filled with envy for those able to participate. Some even thought about abandoning their post to participate in the raid!
Izroth, "That's right."
Mariposa, "How fortunate it is that you chose the General Support Unit. When it comes to moments like this, a part of me regrets choosing the War Brigade."
Izroth, "Your choice was not wrong. Those of the General Support Unit are left to fend for themselves when it comes to obtaining war objectives. In this aspect, it cannot compare to the War Brigade, which is more than capable of providing its members with a steady stream of war objectives."
The freedom of movement granted by the General Support Unit was tempting, but it was not ideal for earning contribution points.
Needless to say, Izroth's case was special since he took advantage of numerous unique opportunities. But, for the vast majority of players, such opportunities were unavailable. And, even if they were available, did they have the ability to dare attempt it?
After exchanging a brief farewell, Mariposa left Izroth with a few words before her departure.
Mariposa, "I will spread the news shortly. These next two weeks—I'm afraid the Headhunter Syndicate will have no room to breathe without fear in RML. How fitting."
[Voice Chat Has Ended]
Once the voice call ended, Izroth turned his attention to Azalea, who had been sitting patiently upright on the bed with her eyes closed. However, the moment Izroth looked over, Azalea opened her eyes which contained a hint of newfound clarity.
'She must have gained some insight after her fight back at the Siren headquarters. Then, since she calls me teacher... should I give her another push in the right direction?'
Izroth approached Azalea, who immediately stood to her feet to greet him.
"Teacher." Azalea greeted respectfully.
"You've done well this time around. I know I said I would have a pair of daggers crafted as your reward, but I feel that this is not enough given your contribution. Since that's the case, I will teach you two moves—do you wish to learn them?" Izroth inquired.