The First Mission

The benefits of the Hall of Tranquility are excellent.

Not only do you get a house upon joining, but the monthly salary is twelve gold.

(Although the designs and patterns of coins vary by region, the gold content of gold coins is roughly the same.

This is thanks to the canals dug by Zaun and Piltover, which, while driving global economic development, are also unifying currency denominations.

One gold coin is equivalent to one hundred silver coins, and one silver coin is equivalent to one hundred copper coins.)

Twelve gold is already a very generous amount.

According to surveys and statistics from Placidium, the average monthly consumption of Placidium citizens is only four gold and thirty-six silver.

Such generous treatment, however, made Jia Ruo somewhat uneasy, as the saying goes, one does not receive rewards without merit.

He and Neeko had joined the Investigator Group of the Hall of Tranquility half a month ago, but there had been nothing substantial for them to do. Only the Weaver would occasionally visit.

Therefore, the Training Ground of the Hall of Tranquility had become Jia Ruo's frequent haunt lately.

On normal days, Marshals without missions often sparred in the Training Ground.

They came from various different sects, as well as the large and small temples and monasteries of Ionia.

These Marshals were all seasoned veterans, skilled in actual combat. The proficient martial arts they displayed during their spars, along with the unique combat styles of each sect, were like a feast of various delicacies to Jia Ruo.

Although Jia Ruo had not participated in any matches himself during this period, even observing from the sidelines had benefited him greatly.

Yi was right; for him, the Hall of Tranquility was truly a suitable place.

Moreover, Jia Ruo had recently heard something: Elder Percy came from the Temple of the Extreme.

It was from that place, which belonged to Xilana Monastery, that he learned the secret inheritance art of object manipulation.

It is said that Elder Percy could control six Steel Spears simultaneously and had killed countless enemies in battles against Noxus.

At this moment, on the Training Ground of the Hall of Tranquility.

Jia Ruo leaned against a Wooden Stake, watching a pair of Warrior Monks spar while wiping the You Meng in his hand.

In fact, he had not yet fully unlocked the potential of You Meng.

Even though You Meng already possessed the sharpness to cut through gold and jade, it also enabled Jia Ruo, the user, to be more agile: when Jia Ruo held You Meng, this divine weapon could make his Mana flow faster.

But this was not You Meng's limit; it was waiting for its master to grow stronger to withstand its even more potent power.

"Jia Ruo, are you getting used to living in Placidium?"

Master Percy's voice suddenly appeared, pulling Jia Ruo out of his thoughts.

He hadn't seen Master Percy much in the past half month, as Percy had to manage the affairs of over two thousand people in the entire Hall of Tranquility.

The Hall of Tranquility had no subordinate executive positions; all Marshals reported directly to Percy.

And Percy had six clerical monks by his side—they served as secretaries and also reported the Hall of Tranquility's work to the council, acting as supervisors to Percy.

Jia Ruo straightened up and replied, "Master Percy, Placidium is truly a pleasant place. When I'm old, I must come here to live out my retirement."

"Young people need to be full of fighting spirit. Now, I have something for you to do."

It's finally here, Jia Ruo's heart tightened.

Percy handed him a thick roll of parchment.

In reality, he could have had the clerical monks handle this.

But he greatly admired Jia Ruo and wanted to interact more with this disciple of Yi.

Jia Ruo unrolled the parchment in his hands.

"According to a report from a butler, his master—a noblewoman from Demacia named Lesthara Bovril—was kidnapped by bandits yesterday while passing through a small town called Urda, south of Placidium.

The bandits are holding Lady Lesthara hostage and have sent a blackmail letter to her temporary residence in Placidium, demanding a ransom of two thousand gold.

They've instructed her daughter to go to Urda alone with the ransom on the third day after the incident, which is tomorrow, to redeem Lady Lesthara.

Of course, the bandits stated in the blackmail letter not to report to the authorities, but the butler still chose to contact the Placidium officials. This was a wise decision. We hope the Hall of Tranquility can resolve this matter as soon as possible."

He finished reading the words on the parchment.

Percy nodded. "This came from the council. I've decided to assign you and Neeko to this rescue. This will be your first mission.

Of course, I will send a seasoned Marshal to assist you."

"Yes, Master Percy."

Jia Ruo accepted the assignment.

At the same time, Jia Ruo noticed a lean Warrior Monk behind Percy. His skin was as dark as Percy's, his eyes were bright and piercing, and he looked very capable.

The Warrior Monk walked over. "There's no time to waste. We'll depart now."

Jia Ruo didn't delay either. He called out to Neeko, and together they followed the Warrior Monk towards the main entrance of the Hall of Tranquility.

"We'll go find the victim's family first. They are waiting outside right now."

As the Warrior Monk spoke, he gave a brief self-introduction: "My name is Lyle Enno. You can call me Lyle. I am also a member of the Hall of Tranquility's Investigator Group and previously served as a Scout in the army. I am familiar with the geography around Placidium."

"Hello Lyle, my name is Jia Ruo, and this is Neeko."

"Mm, I know. Master Percy introduced us earlier."

As they spoke, they had already stepped out of the main entrance of the Hall of Tranquility.

A carriage was parked at the entrance of the Hall of Tranquility. Its door bore a crest: a longsword encircled by wings—that was the symbol of Demacia.

Standing beneath the carriage was a man in his late forties or early fifties, dressed in a tailcoat. He looked like a butler.

Seeing Jia Ruo and the other two emerge, he hurried over.

"My lords, please hurry and save my lady! If anything happens to her, how will our young lady live?"

"Don't worry, this is our responsibility. To rescue Lady Lesthara as quickly as possible, we need you to provide specific information." Lyle, having had similar experiences, was calming the butler's emotions.

"Yes, my lord. We received the blackmail letter yesterday. I didn't dare come out then, for fear of being discovered by the lurking ruffians. So, I quietly slipped out at night and found the patrolling Warrior Monks. The blackmail letter is right here."

The butler took a letter from his bosom and handed it to Lyle.

As Lyle read the contents of the blackmail letter, he asked, "Where was Lady Lesthara going when she passed through Urda?"

"Our lady is passionate about charity. She was going to an orphanage to do charity that day. She only brought two manservants with her, leaving me and the young lady to tidy our house—we had just arrived in Placidium from Demacia a few days ago. I never expected to encounter such a thing right after arriving..."

"The bandits not only know the location of Lady Lesthara's residence and sent this blackmail letter. They likely knew your movements in advance, including Lady Lesthara's plan to go out for charity that day. Therefore, we have reason to suspect that there is a mole within your household."

Lyle put away the letter.

"How about this, Mr. Butler? You should return home quickly to avoid the mole discovering that you reported this. As for us, we will organize our men to investigate. If there are any clues or developments, our people will disguise themselves as Cleaning Workers and contact you secretly again," Lyle said.

"Actually, I have an idea."

Jia Ruo, who had been listening for a while, suddenly interjected. He looked at Neeko.