The First Mission

The Hall of Tranquility offered excellent benefits.

Not only did new hires receive a house, but the monthly salary was twelve gold coins.

(Although the designs and patterns of coins varied from place to place, the gold content of a gold coin was roughly the same.

This was thanks to the canal dug by Zaun and Piltover. It had driven the development of the global economy while also helping standardize the value of currencies.

One gold coin was worth one hundred silver coins, and one silver coin was worth one hundred copper coins.)

Twelve gold coins was already a very generous amount.

According to a survey by the Placidium, the average Placidium resident spent only four gold and thirty-six silver coins a month.

Such generous treatment actually made Jia Ruo feel a little uneasy. As the saying went, one should not accept rewards without earning them.

He and Neeko had been part of the Hall of Tranquility's Investigator Group for half a month, yet they had still had nothing substantial to do. Only the Weaver had occasionally come to visit.

As a result, the Hall of Tranquility's Training Ground had become somewhere Jia Ruo visited often lately.

On ordinary days, peacekeepers without assignments often sparred at the Training Ground.

They came from all sorts of different schools, as well as temples and monasteries of every size across Ionia.

These peacekeepers were all seasoned fighters. To Jia Ruo, their practiced martial arts and the distinctive fighting styles of their various schools were like a feast of delicacies.

Although Jia Ruo hadn't joined in any sparring during this time, he had still benefited greatly from watching on the sidelines.

Yi had been right. The Hall of Tranquility really was a suitable place for him.

What's more, Jia Ruo had recently heard that Elder Percy came from the Temple of the Extreme.

It was there, in a place affiliated with Xilana Monastery, that he had learned the secret art of telekinesis.

They said Elder Percy could control six Steel Spears at once and had killed countless enemies in battles against Noxus.

At that moment, at the Hall of Tranquility's Training Ground,

Jia Ruo leaned against a wooden post, watching two Warrior Monks spar as he wiped down You Meng in his hand.

Truthfully, he still hadn't fully unlocked You Meng's potential.

You Meng had already shown that its edge could cleave through metal and jade, and it could make Jia Ruo, its wielder, even faster. When Jia Ruo held You Meng, the divine weapon made his Mana flow more quickly.

But that wasn't the limit of You Meng's power. It was waiting for its master to grow stronger, so he could withstand its even greater power.

"Jia Ruo, have you settled in well in the Placidium?"

Percy's voice suddenly broke into Jia Ruo's thoughts.

He hadn't seen Percy much over the past half month. After all, Percy had to manage the affairs of the Hall of Tranquility's more than two thousand people.

The Hall of Tranquility had no department heads. All the peacekeepers reported directly to Percy.

At Percy's side were six clerical monks. They served as his secretaries, reported the Hall of Tranquility's work to the council, and helped supervise Percy.

Jia Ruo straightened and replied, "Master Percy, the Placidium really is a pleasant place. When I grow old, I'll definitely come here to retire."

"Young people need to be full of drive. Now, I have some work for you."

At last, Jia Ruo thought, his heart tightening.

Percy handed him a thick scroll of parchment.

He could easily have had one of the clerical monks handle this sort of thing.

But he admired Jia Ruo and wanted to spend more time with Yi's disciple.

Jia Ruo unrolled the parchment in his hands.

"According to a report filed by a butler, his employer—a Demacian noblewoman named Lady Lesthara Buvelle—was kidnapped by bandits yesterday while passing through a small town called Urda, south of the Placidium.

"The bandits abducted Lady Lesthara and sent a Blackmail Letter to her temporary residence in the Placidium, demanding a ransom of two thousand gold coins.

"They specified that her daughter must bring the ransom alone to Urda on the third day after the incident—that is, tomorrow—to buy Lady Lesthara's release.

"Of course, the bandits stated in the Blackmail Letter that the authorities must not be notified. The butler nevertheless chose to contact the Placidium authorities, which was a wise decision. We hope the Hall of Tranquility will resolve this matter as soon as possible."

He finished reading the words on the parchment.

Percy nodded. "This was sent by the council. I've decided that you and Neeko will handle the rescue. This will be your first assignment.

"Of course, I'll send an experienced peacekeeper to assist you."

"Yes, Master Percy."

Jia Ruo accepted the assignment.

At the same time, he noticed a lean Warrior Monk standing behind Percy. His complexion was as dark as Percy's, his eyes bright and alert, and he looked very capable.

The Warrior Monk came over. "There's no time to waste. Let's set off now."

Jia Ruo didn't dawdle either. He called Neeko over, and the two of them followed the Warrior Monk toward the Hall of Tranquility's main entrance.

"First, we'll go speak with the victim's family. They're waiting outside."

As he spoke, the Warrior Monk gave a brief introduction. "My name is Lyle Enno, but you can just call me Lyle. I'm also in the Hall of Tranquility's Investigator Group. I used to serve as a military scout, so I know the area around the Placidium well."

"Hello, Lyle. I'm Jia Ruo, and this is Neeko."

"Mm, I know. Master Percy introduced you to me earlier."

As they spoke, they had already stepped through the Hall of Tranquility's main entrance.

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

A man of about forty or fifty stood beside the carriage, dressed in a tailcoat. He looked like a butler.

When he saw the three of them come out, he hurried over.

"Honored sirs, please find a way to save my lady! If anything happens to her, how will our young mistress go on?"

"Don't worry. This is our responsibility. To rescue Lady Lesthara as quickly as possible, we need you to provide us with the details." Lyle had handled similar situations before, and now he tried to calm the butler.

"Yes, sir. We received the Blackmail Letter yesterday. I didn't dare come out then, in case the villains keeping watch spotted me. So I slipped out quietly during the night and found the Warrior Monks on patrol. Here's the letter."

The butler pulled a letter from his breast pocket and handed it to Lyle.

As Lyle examined the contents of the Blackmail Letter, he asked, "What was Lady Lesthara doing in Urda?"

"Our lady is passionate about charity work. That day, she went to do charitable work at an Orphanage. She only took two male servants with her, leaving me and the young lady to put our house in order. We'd only come to the Placidium from Demacia a few days earlier. I never imagined we'd run into something like this as soon as we arrived..."

"The bandits not only knew where Lady Lesthara's Mansion was and sent this Blackmail Letter there, but they may also have known your movements in advance, including Lady Lesthara's plan to go do charity work that day. So we have reason to suspect that one of the bandits' accomplices is inside your household."

Lyle put the letter away.

"Here's what you should do, Mr. Butler. Hurry back home, so the accomplice doesn't realize you reported the incident. We'll organize people to investigate. If we find any leads or make any progress, our people will disguise themselves as cleaning workers and contact you in secret," Lyle said.

"Actually, I have an idea."

Jia Ruo, who had been listening in silence, suddenly spoke up. He looked at Neeko.