Headquarters, Hunting Division office area.
Thud! A massive venom wyvern descended directly from the sky, its landing crushing two enormous depressions into the ground.
A black shadow flashed, and a wizard clad in black robes leapt down from the wyvern's back.
"My Lord! My Lord!" An elderly wizard's eyes lit up the moment he spotted the venom wyvern, and he immediately rushed over.
"Old man! I'll settle accounts with you for deserting during the battle later!"
Leilin couldn't be bothered with him and strode straight into the hall.
"Vice Division Master! Lord Xishan requests your presence!" Two Hunting Division wizards approached Leilin, bowing slightly. Their manners were impeccably polished.
Although the previous Leilin had been powerless against Xishan, dealing with ordinary division members like them would have been child's play. Wali, the one who had offended Leilin before, was still locked up in solitary confinement! Thus, these desperadoes of the Hunting Division maintained a facade of utmost respect toward Leilin.
"Just as well — I was planning to go find him anyway."
Leilin nodded indifferently.
Click! The great doors swung open, revealing the figure of Xishan seated behind his desk. The two wizards who had led the way departed hastily once the doors were open.
"Wizard Leilin! Your timing is perfect. Regarding the last mission..." Before Xishan could finish, a massive metal block was hurled onto his desk by Leilin.
"It's done."
Upon that enormous silvery-white slab of metal was a bizarre relief depicting an old man's face.
"A Metal Life?" Xishan seemed momentarily puzzled, but then something clicked, and his pupils contracted sharply.
"I need to verify this once more!"
With that, Xishan grabbed the metal relief and strode briskly out of the office, leaving Leilin alone inside.
Although Xishan himself had issued this mission, he had never actually expected Leilin to complete it. After all, Marbu was a wizard of the same tier as himself!
Yet now, Leilin had tossed what appeared to be Marbu's head right onto his desk. How could he not be shaken?
For a brief moment, Xishan even suspected that Leilin had forged a head just to avoid punishment.
Slap! After a dozen or so minutes, the doors opened once more.
Xishan's figure reappeared before Leilin, but this time his complexion was terrible — there was even a trace of shock mingled in.
"I can't believe it... Wizard Leilin, you actually did it..." The astonishment and curiosity in Xishan's eyes were impossible to conceal.
"If it's possible, could you share the details of your mission with me... You understand, as the head of the Hunting Division, I have every right to know the outcome of each mission carried out by my subordinates, and to distribute rewards accordingly..."
Xishan said flatly.
"It's actually quite simple..." Leilin spread his hands. "After I received the mission, I set out to find Xishan and happened to encounter him in a severely wounded state, so I was able to complete the mission without any trouble..."
"Wizard Leilin..." Xishan's face darkened instantly. "Please respect the facts!"
"That is the fact! Besides, I also happened to rescue a neutral roaming Wizard. If you have any questions, you can go ask her..."
Leilin was completely unconcerned.
In truth, anyone who wasn't completely blind could see that this was nothing but Leilin's excuse!
But so what? Malbu was already dead, and now that Leilin said he had been severely wounded at the time, then severely wounded he was!
As for that female Wizard, she herself was only at roughly the half-elementalization stage — how could she possibly discern the physical condition of a peak Rank 1 Wizard?
"You..." Xishan's face shifted from dark to flushed crimson in an instant.
Then, as if something had occurred to him, his entire body suddenly relaxed.
"In any case! Wizard Leilin! You have eliminated one of the opposing peak Rank 1 Wizards for the Four Seasons Garden, proving your loyalty. Moreover, your valor will be celebrated by the White Wizards, and may even be recorded in the history books..."
Xishan offered his congratulations with a hollow expression.
"I appreciate the kind words, but I'd rather know about my actual rewards!" Leilin nodded indifferently and promptly asked.
To him, hollow fame was of no consequence whatsoever. If it didn't compromise his own interests, he was perfectly willing to do a good deed and earn a decent reputation. But if there was no real benefit and he had to pay a significant cost just to earn a place in the history books — that was something only a fool would do!
"Hah..."
Xishan across from him seemed to take a deep breath, and after suppressing the rage within, said coldly: "Rewards will naturally be given. Promotion in rank and such will have to wait a while, but Merit Points have already been issued — 1,500 points!!! Rest assured, the organization has strict auditing regulations regarding this matter, and I have no authority to withhold any of it!"
With that, Xishan produced a green crystal card from within his robe and handed it to Leilin.
A fleeting, inscrutable look flashed through Leilin's eyes as he reached out calmly to accept it.
*Click!*
The instant his fingers closed around the crystal card, a faint crackling sound erupted in the air.