The well-earned rest, coupled with the Divine Cult’s drug, did wonders for Liam’s exhaustion. He woke up fully recovered and livelier than ever, to which his eagerness to join a Sect’s mission only added fuel.
Just like the circulation technique, the idea of joining a mission felt like diving even deeper into the cultivation world for Liam.
Moreover, even if the alleged nine spiritual roots had played a significant role, the Pale Moon Sect had still welcomed Liam. It was his first real home in ten years, and completing missions felt like one way of repaying that favor.
However, the candles’ consumption told Liam that the new day had yet to arrive. Actually, the night had yet to descend properly, but he knew a method to kill time quickly.
That method was also bound to be necessary in the mission and was what Liam wanted to test in real-life situations. He had to restore the complete functioning of his circulation technique and master it as much as possible before going out.
Liam had gotten faster at the practice, but that simply allowed him to focus on additional cycles before the morning inevitably arrived. He actually snapped out of his concentration a whole hour later than planned, which made him hurry outside.
Spending the night meditating hardly made a dent in Liam’s stamina or excitement. He only felt a bit stiff, which was fixed by climbing the path toward the plateau.
Yet, despite Liam being late for the mission board’s posting, he was greeted with a crowd of disciples even larger than the one that had attended his test. He counted almost seventy people there, which was close to the total number of caves in the lower side of the Sect.
’Is every mission day like this?’ Liam wondered. He had spent the previous time in seclusion, so he had no terms of comparison, but it would make sense due to the rewards those missions promised.
Nevertheless, something about the atmosphere felt odd. The disciples were merely wandering over the plateau, not really paying attention to the mission board placed beside the hall’s stairs.
Also, the excitement intensified at Liam’s arrival, and the same went for the murmurs. Liam heard his name and title mentioned multiple times as everyone turned in his direction, seemingly waiting for something.
And the situation grew even stranger when Liam advanced. The disciples moved away, creating a path for him, never forgetting to perform bows and call his name.
’This feels really odd,’ Liam thought. He barely knew any names, so he limited himself to quick bows, wanting to get to the mission board as quickly as possible to escape that strange situation.
Luckily, the mission board did arrive, and Liam could finally turn a deaf ear to his surroundings to focus on the ten or so pieces of paper nailed on it.
’Around seventy outer disciples,’ Liam calculated, ’Only ten tasks.’
The Sect’s competitive aspect immediately stood out, which increased Liam’s confusion. He couldn’t explain how all those tasks were still available, nor why he could take his sweet time reading them.
’Gather ...something, one contribution point each,’ Liam began to read, failing to understand some words. ’Concoct basic ... something, three contribution points per flask. Inscribe ...is that runes? Twenty contribution points.’
Liam’s excitement dwindled whenever he met a word he couldn’t recognize or read. Part of him believed he had the skills to complete those tasks. What he lacked was understanding what they were about.
’Escort cargo to Slygrove sounds boring,’ Liam kept reading. ’Collect monthly update from the Recruiters Guild absolutely not.’
The tasks Liam could read weren’t very cultivator-like, almost killing his excitement for good, but something stood out when he read the last pinned piece of paper.
’Collect magical beast’s feces,’ Liam read. ’That’s something I can do.’
Of course, there were other, more menial tasks Liam could choose from, but he wanted to feel like a cultivator. That mission would also play to his strengths, so he didn’t hesitate to reach for the piece of paper, only to be promptly interrupted.
"Brother Liam," A melodious voice reached Liam’s ears while a gracious figure stopped at his side. He turned, finding a beautiful girl with spotless jade skin and long black hair, partially intertwined in a big red ribbon, bowing at him.
"Senior Sister ...?" Liam asked, not knowing why the woman had skipped the Junior.
"Alicia," The woman replied, straightening herself up, wearing a modest but friendly smile. "Brother Liam, you can’t take the tasks from the board. You must report your interest in one to the Outer Mission Hall to receive additional information."
"Oh!" Liam exclaimed. "Thank you, Senior Sister Alicia!"
Liam sort of knew where the Mission Hall was, so he planned to head there directly, but Alicia stopped him again.
"Brother Liam, if I may," Alicia called. "I wish someone would accompany me gathering Snowy Stalks. Would you like to spend the day collecting plants with me?"
Alicia had sounded beyond charming, but that aspect completely escaped Liam’s perception.
’I must be polite,’ Liam reminded himself, attempting the social customs Lucy had mentioned. "I’m sorry, Senior Sister Alicia, but I’d rather collect magical beast’s dung."
Alicia’s smile froze while something shattered inside her. The crowd had also been silent, so that reply echoed throughout it, eventually giving birth to not-so-quiet comments.
"Is he an eunuch?"
"The Heavens must have exacted a hefty price for his talent."
Liam was about to turn in the direction of those comments when he spotted a familiar figure approaching him. Lucy had made her way through the crowd, her expression a mixture of helplessness and bottled-up laughter.
"Junior Brother Liam," Lucy called. "The task you wish to tackle involves a magical beast. I know the area well, so I suggest we team up to reduce the risks."
"I suggest we reduce it even further," A familiar voice resounded from the crowd before Erik stepped out of it. "Junior Brother Liam, I’ve learned the nature of the magical beast in previous patrols. As a member of the disciplinary committee, I can also help if a fight were to happen."
Liam’s black eyes darted between Lucy and Erik, realizing something out loud. "Oh! So we can form teams to complete the tasks."
And, among the crowd, another comment resounded, following the previous ones’ trend. "A very hefty price."