The Assassin’s Guild required assassins who took on missions to pay a deposit. This seemed very reasonable, but it was essentially fleecing the assassins like sheep.
An assassination commission was clearly not a task that only one assassin could accept, barring others from it.
It was an open mission.
Facing the enormous mission bounty, many assassins would certainly be willing to pay the five percent deposit.
However, only one would receive the final bounty, or perhaps no one would complete the mission at all.
In that case, the deposits would either be half-swallowed by the Assassin’s Guild or devoured entirely.
Even assassins who completed their missions had to give twenty percent of their earnings to the Guild as commission.
Ultimately, the Guild might earn more than the mission bounty itself.
And they didn’t have to take any risks at all.
It was unknown if the mission requesters would also be fleeced, but seeing how ruthlessly the Guild exploited its own assassins, it was likely the requesters would be ’harvested’ as well.
This was the power of a monopoly, bleeding people dry while they had no recourse.
Yan Xing said, "I can’t possibly carry that much for the deposit on me. I’ll bring it next time. If there’s anything else you need to tell me, say it all now... to save me an extra trip."
The confidence in Yan Xing’s tone convinced Li Jiya that he was indeed going to accept this assassination mission.
Since Lady Karol tasked me with investigating his background, then...
Li Jiya said, "Once you pay the deposit, you’ll officially accept the mission, and you can obtain more intelligence support from me. However, because the bounty for this commission is so large, a supervisor must accompany you to oversee the mission. They will also confirm the target’s death and whether you were the one who killed them. Mr. Terence, I know a thief like yourself dislikes being watched, but this mission is truly exceptional. To be responsible to the client and the other assassins who have accepted this mission, we must assign you an assistant. I hope you understand."
"Understand..." Yan Xing was actually hoping the Assassin’s Guild would assign him an assistant so he could glean more intelligence from them. He took out a watch and placed it on the table, saying, "I value time highly. This watch is from the Eternal Commerce Guild. Give it to my assistant and have him go to Li Jiya’s tavern to get the money this afternoon. Do you know Li Jiya’s tavern? Or do I need to draw you a map?"
I could find it with my eyes closed, Li Jiya thought.
"No need." Li Jiya took the watch and said confidently—or perhaps, a bit pretentiously, "The Assassin’s Guild is omniscient within Nuta City. I will take this watch, as I am to be your assistant. I also value time highly. We’ll discuss the specifics when we meet this afternoon. Once I have the deposit, I can provide you with the information you desire."
"Also a chargeable service?"
"Part of it is, part of it isn’t."
It costs money everywhere.
Yan Xing felt that being a thief or an assassin in this world was truly pitiful.
After leaving the Assassin’s Guild contact point, Yan Xing gave Grey Mouse another sum of money before departing alone.
Then he leaped onto the rooftops, engaging in parkour for counter-surveillance.
Yan Xing was now adept at utilizing the air-element movement technique, ’Lightness Skill,’ specially developed for him by Chui Chui, to maneuver with incredible agility across the city’s rooftops.
"The drone signal relay system deployed from the Special Envoy’s villa is in place. Connecting to data link..."
"Data link connection complete. Locating position of the watch’s tracking monitor..."
Yan Xing had installed a monitoring chip in the watch he gave Li Jiya. By establishing a drone data transmission link, Chui Chui could track the wearer’s whereabouts at any time and eavesdrop on her.
On the Nuta City flat map generated by Chui Chui, a bright dot representing Li Jiya appeared.
"Master... after you left the tavern, Li Jiya attempted to track you. Based on my analysis of her route, she appears to have a way to track you beyond her line of sight."
Yan Xing was startled by Chui Chui’s warning.
He asked Chui Chui, "Li Jiya was following me?"
"Yes, Master..." Chui Chui marked Yan Xing’s and Li Jiya’s locations on the Nuta City flat map and traced their routes.
The two paths highly overlapped, yet Li Jiya definitely could not have seen Yan Xing directly.
Yan Xing slowed his pace and said to Chui Chui, "I placed a surveillance device on Li Jiya. She must have also placed some kind of surveillance Magic on me. Perform a Magic detection scan on me."
Chui Chui activated a mana-fluctuation detection spell, repeatedly scanning Yan Xing’s body and clothes.
Eventually, a faint trace was discovered.
"Master, a passive Magic feedback signal has been detected on you. I am configuring the passive Magic feedback deciphering magical framework. Deciphering... Deciphering complete. Master, Li Jiya must have smeared some kind of magical potion on you. It doesn’t actively release Magic, but its scent can become visible under specific magical fluctuations. Li Jiya must be using the scent emitted by this magical potion to track you."
Hearing this, Yan Xing understood how Li Jiya had arrived at the tavern before him.
She must have smeared the same magical potion on Grey Mouse’s clothes and then tracked him. Perhaps she also had some way to predict his destination in advance, rushing to the tavern to pose like a big bad wolf before him.
Li Jiya is a very professional thief, more professional than I am.
I have to be extremely careful around her.
"Master..." Chui Chui said, "you just need to take off your cloak to evade Li Jiya’s tracking."
Yan Xing replied, "No. Shaking off Li Jiya’s tracking would also inform her that I’m aware of her movements. I won’t return to the Special Envoy’s villa. Tell Olaf to get the Gold Coins ready, and we’ll arrange another place to meet for the exchange. Find me an inn to rest, and let’s see what Li Jiya does next."
Chui Chui found a nearby inn for Yan Xing.
A short while later, Li Jiya tracked him to the vicinity.
This pursuit made Li Jiya admire the thief Terence immensely; the route he took was incredibly convoluted. Seeing the residue of the magical scent revealed by her detection Magic, she couldn’t help but marvel at the agility required to follow such an extreme trajectory.
A master, truly a master!
Li Jiya no longer had any doubts about Terence’s identity as a legendary thief.
She also grew more curious about his true identity and his purpose for coming to Nuta City.
Li Jiya lay prone on the rooftop of a tall building, cautiously peeking into the room Terence had rented.
Through the open window, she could see him lying on the bed, resting. However, he still hadn’t taken off his coat, and the hood he wore obscured his features.
After a long period of observation yielded little, Li Jiya summoned another thief to take over the watch. She then returned to her tavern to prepare for her afternoon meeting with Terence.