The journey back to the city was uneventful.
Jason and Delisha handed over the task, and Delisha was then stopped by Belding.
"Ms. Delisha, you helped us complete the mission before. Here are the Nether Stone I promised you. I've also added 30 million. This mission was dangerous, so you deserve it."
"Thank you, I won't be polite." Delisha put away her Interspatial Ring.
Jason bowed slightly, then followed Delisha away.
"My lady, I think that guy is interested in you!"
"Didn't you dislike being my son?"
"Considering our actual blood relationship, it doesn't seem like I'm at a disadvantage being treated as a son."
Delisha was silent for a moment, then said, "Son, stay away from that show-off from now on."
"Yes, Mother."
I went to North Skeleton Castle to sell my loot.
Jason didn't gain much; he only killed three Midgod and some Lowgod in the battle. Delisha gained three High Godhead and a considerable number of mid-level and Lowgod Spark, which were the only remnants of the Deity-level after they were annihilated by the magic array. These were then divided among the six surviving Highgod Fiend gods.
The two returned to the Rhine Clan mansion and stayed there for a while.
Jason didn't gain any insights this time, since the enemy was too weak. On the contrary, Delisha had some understanding and needed to go into seclusion for a while.
Jason's Lightning Clone is studying books in the living room.
"My dear son, what are you looking at?" Delisha's Lightning Clone also doing nothing.
I bought some books about magic arrays a few days ago.
"Want to study magic arrays?" Delisha looked Jason up and down. "I suggest you focus your attention on cultivation and bloodline research. After all, you've already shown enough talent in those two areas. You can spend time researching other things after you've cultivated to the level of Highgod."
"Oh, thank you for your concern. I'm just dabbling in this area, filling in some gaps in my knowledge. I realized during the last mission that I knew too little about magic arrays, and I'm worried I'll be at a disadvantage if I encounter this situation again."
Delisha nodded after hearing this. "That makes sense, give me a few copies!"
Just then, a "ding-dong" sound rang out.
This is the "doorbell" that Jason set up; a house with a certain level of intelligence can certainly produce this level of simulated sound.
Jason instructed the residence to invite the guests in, and then had the residence's spirit serve some tea and snacks.
The person who arrived was Johanna, the daughter of Lord Lloyd.
"I want to hire Miss Delisha to protect the caravan I've established," Johanna said bluntly.
"Hire me? A caravan?" Delisha looked puzzled, while Jason seemed to think she was someone standing behind him.
"Recently, there has been internal strife in Bone Dragon Prefecture, and only one in ten caravans traveling to the Bone Dragon Prefecture have survived. I am preparing to organize a caravan to travel between Falling Rain City and Skyfall City. The level of danger along the way is still unclear. I want to be as cautious as possible for the first journey. I have already contacted two Five-Star Fiend and would like to invite Miss Delisha as well."
After Johanna's explanation, the two roughly understood the reason—Lord Lloyd had a baby son.
To be precise, this youngest son has been born for some time, is already Midgod, and is said to have a very solid foundation.
Because his eldest son was murdered by his enemies, Lloyd was more cautious, and he only revealed the existence of his younger son now. Clearly, his plan to build a family business has been put on the agenda once again.
Johanna was somewhat dissatisfied because she and that younger brother did not share the same mother, nor were they the children of Cheryl, whom Jason and the others knew. Instead, they were born to one of Lloyd's hidden lovers more than 30,000 years ago.
It's a wonder they hid it until now.
Despite her dissatisfaction, Johanna wasn't the type to disregard the bigger picture; after all, she knew her personality wasn't suited to managing a family. However, this didn't stop her from making advance arrangements to secure a good position for herself within the family in the future.
Therefore, taking advantage of the current chaos in Bone Dragon Prefecture and the disruption of most other caravans, establishing a stable caravan is a good approach.
Delisha hesitated before saying, "Excuse me for being frank, but I am merely a Two-Star Fiend."
"Here's the thing," Johanna said. "In my initial route planning, I passed through your Rhine Clan's territory. If the caravan is established, we will always stop at your family's location for a day to trade. Also, the first escort mission will be a mission for a two-star to Three-Star Fiend to Johanna."
Not all Fiend promotion missions are bandit-suppression type; a few are escort type. These missions are generally promotion missions for stars or below. As for the Five-Star Fiend who participate in the mission, it's just a normal employment relationship and doesn't involve promotion.
"That's a very tempting offer," Delisha mused.
"Plus, a top-tier Deathgod Golem! Consider it a deposit for you," Johanna said.
"Make a deal!"
Johanna left, without revealing the caravan's specific route, only stating their destination as "Skyfall City".
It was a city located in the eastern part of Bone Dragon Prefecture, relatively close to the east, and also a very prosperous city.
It is said that its city lord is a powerful figure at the Asura-level, but the former city lord of the Bone Dragon Prefecture was very powerful and the two had a good personal relationship, so he was willing to remain a city lord.
Of course, the current rulers of the Netherworld are not so powerful that any Asura can easily challenge them.
However, this did not prevent the City Lord of Skyfall City from being dissatisfied with the new Lord of the Bone Dragon Prefecture, who was appointed by the Sovereign to succeed him.
Therefore, Skyfall City, which was originally the most prosperous city in the eastern part of Bone Dragon Prefecture, was repeatedly harassed by bandits, and only a few scattered trade routes remained.
However, Skyfall City is not fighting alone. Judging from Johanna's choice of this place as the caravan's destination, the Lord of the Northbone Prefecture should support Skyfall City's resistance against the new Lord, or at least be one of the opposing forces' supporters.
If Johanna can turn the tide at this moment, the caravan's interests will be secondary. The friendship of a Asura-level powerhouse, coupled with her contribution to relieving the burden of the Northbone Prefecture Lord, will undoubtedly elevate Johanna's status in Falling Rain City.
These messages were collected by Alpa of the Rhine Clan.
As a council member, Alpa was mainly responsible for intelligence work. Especially after the family opened a regular route to Falling Rain City, one of Alpa's avatars was stationed in Falling Rain City.
Looking at the effeminate man before her, Delisha was quite satisfied. "Alpa, you did a good job. I didn't expect you to be able to gather so much information."
"It's my duty as a subordinate."
"Okay, keep it up. This Deathgod Golem is for you."
Delisha gave the other party a top-tier Deathgod Golem, the same top-tier Deathgod Golem that Johanna had given her. Delisha's strength didn't require these for the time being.
Jason pondered for a moment, then asked, "Director Alpa, what are your thoughts on Miss Johanna's mission this time?"
Alpa for a moment and said, "It's a mixed bag, I can't be sure, but if this mission succeeds, it will definitely benefit our family greatly."
Jason nodded. "So, regarding the internal strife in the Bone Dragon Prefecture, how long do you think it will last?"
Alpa had clearly considered this issue long ago. "I think it will continue for some time. The new Bone Dragon Prefecture Lord is said to be a very powerful person. He has demonstrated extremely strong personal strength in the face of several challenges in recent years, and he obviously will not easily compromise with enemies inside or outside the city. As for stubborn individuals like the Skyfall City Lord who have both power and connections, they are unlikely to be eradicated for at least ten thousand years."
Jason looked at Delisha: "It seems this mission will be difficult for us."
"I think it's worth a try." Delisha was very confident in her abilities.