SSS-class Mission

Karl had to tidy up his Mechanical Workshop and take care of his grandfather, so he didn't go to the city hall to queue.

With the grandfather and grandson's identification tags in hand, Rein followed the hidden Bazel, intending to take on a small four-person team mission.

After leaving the mechanic shop, Rein went to the shop of "Red Nose" Hook, whom Karl had mentioned, and paid for a spying mission.

That's right, he wanted to find out where Ymir lived.

In fact, when he first deduced that it was the Omar intelligence organization Blackwater Platform that had captured Ilubeck, he immediately thought of this bigwig. After all, she was the Princess of Omar, and even though she had lost in the political infighting, her influence was still greater than that of others.

Moreover, asking her about the Blackwater Platform seems more direct.

Karl and his team have no better rescue methods; this seems to be the only one they can try.

But Rein wasn't sure if his acquaintance with Ymir was enough to warrant such a favor from the powerful figure. He also didn't know if Ymir was still in the city.

But even if it's just a one in a million chance, he's determined to shamelessly give it a try.

The old man treated him well, and as his disciple, he naturally couldn't stand idly by.

Since waiting for news would take time, Rein decided to accept the mission first.

Outside the city hall of the fifth district, there is a huge magical light screen that looks like the waiting screen of a train station in the previous life, which broadcasts the information of the Scavenger Mission in turn.

This city-wide mobilization for war has resulted in countless new exploration missions being added.

The reward points are also several times higher than usual.

Several S-level or higher tasks are prominently displayed at the top of the taskbar.

These first few items immediately captured everyone's attention.

[SS-class mission: 'Find Canossa J. Claufer, Vice President of the Black Gold Merchant Guild,' bounty: 10 billion lisos, reward: a complete set of rare Gold Grade Transcendent inheritance; relevant coordinates: Red Stone Canyon, mission details below.]

When Rein looked up and saw the message, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes, and he murmured, "So that lady's name is Canossa?"

When he saw the reward details, his eyes widened immediately.

This sum of billions in cash is like a mountain of gold laid out before one's eyes; and that set of Gold Grade Transcendent inheritances may be fatally attractive to everyone except the "Ten Great Legends".

It seems the "Black Gold Merchant Guild" really went all out to save people this time.

With these two conditions combined, this is an incredibly attractive reward that can draw top-tier Transcendent and large-scale Scavenger Gang!

But Bazel, who was not far behind Rein, was more curious about another piece of information.

[SS-class mission: 'Searching for the Lost Temple']

This mission has no reward, but it ranks ahead of the "Black Gold Merchant Guild's" 10 billion bounty, at the top of the list.

The details of this quest are as follows: There are clear clues indicating that there is a temple dedicated to the "Seventy-two Temple Knights of the Temple" from the time of the Monkell Civilization in the "Ashen Forest." The city lord's mansion will provide a reward of any value to anyone who provides the exact coordinates of the temple.

Rein was somewhat confused; the mission information was too vague, and most people wouldn't even know what benefits they could gain from it.

But a legend like Bazel immediately saw the value of this mission and was intrigued. "I haven't heard of any new temples being discovered in the last hundred years. I wonder which of the seventy-two sequences it belongs to. Tsk tsk. A complete sacrificial temple, besides its heritage, is also very likely to contain 'Divine Power Crystal'."

Rein didn't quite understand; it was a term he hadn't heard of in any ancient texts. "Divine Power Crystal? What's that?"

"A treasure that even we so-called 'Ten Great Legends' would risk our lives to snatch."

Bazel's tone became slightly heavy, "Your current rank is too low to understand the things about laws. They are a bit abstract to explain, but you just need to know that they are the supreme treasures of laws that can transform a fifth-order Transcendent and obtain the power of an ancient demon god."

"That's amazing?"

Rein listened, then carefully reviewed the mission details again, pondering, "With such an astonishingly valuable treasure, if the City Lord's Mansion issues this mission, it's likely to attract top-tier Transcendent from both empires. Aren't we worried?"

"Clearly, this mission was issued to attract top-tier experts!"

Bazel, seeing through the situation at a glance, said, "Heh heh. It seems that Barbarian Tribe is no easy nut to crack; they're so tough that even the Five Great Families of City of Radiance can't take them down alone. Perhaps this is the most important reason for launching this all-out war."

After a pause, a playful glint appeared in the legendary figure's eyes. "The risk to make the City of Radiance spit out this bone must be considerable. However, even so, once the news spreads, top experts from both empires and various major powers will likely come. That Barbarian Tribe will probably face annihilation this time."

"I see."

Upon hearing this, Rein suddenly understood.

He remembered that the barbarian girl saying that their Kohlman Clan High Priest could summon wind and rain, and their strongest warrior could tear tigers and leopards apart. The forest was still their home turf; even the "Ten Great Legends" would likely perish if they went alone. Otherwise, Lady Canossa's formidable force wouldn't have failed.

Now, only by relying on the strategy of sweeping through the Mechanical City can we directly wipe out that primitive tribe and plunder everything in it.

Once a mission is completed, top-tier experts will arrive uninvited, thus minimizing the losses from the exploration of City of Radiance. This is indeed a "clever plan."

Before long, Rein lined up and reached the task station.

With a doctor's apprentice, two mechanics, and Bazel as his guard, he used the newly registered name "Soy Sauce Scavenger Group" to successfully obtain a relatively easy logistical supply mission.

Once outside, Bazel was still somewhat preoccupied with that "SSS quest," and clicked his tongue, saying, "If I weren't injured right now, I'd really be interested in seeing which Templar Knight's temple is in that 'Ashen Forest.'"

"Sigh, now I have to help you complete a D-level mission."

He found it quite boring, pouted, and complained, "By the way, when are you going to be able to completely remove the Silver Needle from my body?"

"You ask me this every day, aren't you tired?"

The two were already quite familiar with each other, so Rein wasn't so polite in his speech, saying, "I've condensed the second 'Gang Line' in just over a month. My cultivation progress has been quite fast, okay? Haven't you noticed that the efficiency of removing the needle has increased a lot?"

"."

Bazel rolled his eyes; there was nothing wrong with what he said.

This progress is indeed quite fast. If it were someone else, let alone condensing the second "Gang Line" in a month, it would be hard to say whether they could even master the secret technique.

Thinking of this, the legend sighed, "However, to be honest, your talent in cultivation is truly astonishing. If I hadn't witnessed you cultivate step by step with my own eyes, I really wouldn't believe that you've only advanced to the Transcendent a few months ago. In comparison, I feel that I've wasted over two hundred years to reach this level; it's like I've lived a life of utter waste."

Rein: "You're over two hundred years old?"

Bazel: "Yes. It's normal for us werewolves to have long lifespans. In human terms, we'd be around forty or fifty years old."

"."

Rein thought that apart from their rough appearance, werewolves were truly blessed by the heavens.

They have a long lifespan and are born with an extra "Gene Chain".

He then asked, "Are there many werewolves in other places?"

At this point, Bazel's eyes instantly turned fierce. "There were quite a few a thousand years ago, but after fighting those filthy vampires, they're rare now. I haven't heard of any large-scale groups anymore; perhaps there are still some in certain remote corners."

Upon hearing that their entire race was about to be wiped out, Rein didn't ask any further questions.

If even one of the "Ten Great Legends" was hunted down and forced to flee, one can only imagine the fate of the other werewolves.

Fate opened a door for them to become powerful, but also arranged for them to become sworn enemies, like vampires.

At this moment, Bazel seemed to remember something and changed the subject, saying, "By the way, didn't you ask me about that kid Karl's grandfather's background? I suddenly remembered now, I've actually heard of this name 'Tuster Forentes' before!"

The advantage of werewolves living a long time is that they hear all sorts of rumors and gossip.

Rein became interested. "Where have I heard that before?"

I knew it! Mechanical Master like that couldn't possibly be completely unknown.

"As far as I can remember, it was a farce at the Oma Royal Academy of Sciences thirty years ago. It caused quite a stir back then."

Bazel thought for a moment and said, "There was a 'patent' dispute back then. It involved a son of a high-ranking official, who is now the president of the Royal Academy of Sciences, Breidan de Molay."

Rein became interested. "???"

"The incident began when a young man from a poor family filed a formal complaint against Casa de Molay, accusing him of plagiarizing hundreds of his technologies, applying for proprietary patents, and even infringing on his fiancée's rights, which led to her death."

Bazel: "I remember the young man who made the accusation; his name was Tuster Forentes. Of course, at that time, the president of the Royal Academy of Sciences was Breidan's father, so the matter was quickly settled. The authorities ruled the accusation as false, and the young man was expelled from the Royal Academy of Sciences. I heard that later, the young man's baron father was also implicated, and his family was ruined."

The difference in status between a hereditary grand duke and the president of the Royal Academy of Sciences, and a country baron, is like night and day.

Having watched so many melodramatic TV dramas in my past life, this plot feels strangely familiar.

Upon hearing this, Rein's keen intuition immediately told him that this was no ordinary matter, and he thought to himself, "Is the academic world of this fantasy world really this dramatic?"

Karl's grandfather was clearly a highly skilled Mechanical Master. If he was the young man who was suppressed after reporting the incident, it would mean...

The story from back then has taken a turn!

It's easy to guess that Grandpa Karl's poisoning and paralysis were directly related to Breidan, the current president of the Royal Academy of Sciences.

Plagiarism, paralyzing others, harming wives, ruining families – this is the standard script for a villainous second-generation official!

So it turns out that every academic circle has such people in high positions who seek fame and fortune?

Given the scandal that occurred back then, and the fact that the son of a high-ranking official Breidan, had such a background, it was only natural that Grandpa Karl's name would be "removed" from the Mechanist Guild.

No wonder I haven't seen a single patent.

Rein hearing the story, Old Zhong immediately thought of the frail and elderly man he had seen before.

Thirty years ago, he must have been a brilliant and spirited genius mechanic. Now, he's just a wretched old man, hiding in the "City of Radiance" and barely clinging to life.

"Tsk tsk, this kind of aristocratic, centralized society is truly rotten."

Suddenly, Rein lost all goodwill towards the "Oma Royal Academy of Sciences," which had once changed the fate of humanity.

He also thought that the scientific community should be as pure as the starry sky on a summer night, just like his teacher, Ilubeck.

Thanks to 'Chenyu G' 200, 'Second Yuan Yifeng Yeyu', '20191212000513164', and 'SOS Dead Bird'. Thanks to several big guys for their reward support.