Oliver suddenly fell silent, his fists tightly clenched as though struggling internally with something difficult to say. Only after several moments did he grit his teeth and continue.

"Well... to be completely honest with you, my son did message me again afterward, and I didn’t stop at what the guild told me." Oliver sighed heavily, seemingly deciding to reveal everything regardless of the consequences.

Darius slightly furrowed his brows hearing this.

Earlier, he had assumed that was all the information Oliver possessed, but now it was clear the man had been holding something back. Still, Darius quickly understood why. The people involved were probably not ordinary figures, and exposing them casually would naturally make anyone fearful.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he quietly listened.

Seeing Darius fully focused on him, Oliver continued in a low voice, "As a father, I wanted to understand what happened no matter what. I even booked a return spot for him through the Sanctuary Gate the following day."

His old eyes gradually reddened.

"But only a few hours later... I received another message."

Oliver’s voice trembled slightly as he repeated the words.

"Father, I love you no matter what. Please... do not investigate this matter."

Silence filled the barrier.

"At that point..." Oliver laughed bitterly, "I already knew I would never see my son again."

His fists tightened further. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"I didn’t care about the guild’s excuses anymore. I only wanted to know who pushed my son into such despair." His expression gradually turned colder. "So I investigated myself quietly. I found out which guild he joined, which team he trained with... and eventually, the person he had conflicts with before disappearing."

Darius maintained the same calm smile outwardly, but internally he was already speaking with the system at rapid speed.

’Is he telling the truth?’

"Positive. The customer’s statements are truthful. Host only needs to gather the relevant information and officially record the mission details for publication."

Darius inwardly nodded before focusing back on Oliver.

"I’m truly sorry for what happened to your son," Darius replied seriously. "But rest assured, if the culprit is truly guilty, justice will be delivered."

His comforting skills were admittedly terrible, but he still tried his best.

After a brief pause, he continued, "Before that, however, I’ll need to ask several questions."

"Yes, please." Oliver immediately nodded. "I’ll answer everything to the best of my ability."

Darius then began following the routine process instructed by the system.

"Do you know the target’s approximate age?"

"Cultivation realm?"

"Any known abilities?"

"Affiliations?"

"Daily movements?"

One question after another was asked while Darius wrote everything down carefully on a thick sheet of paper.

Sometimes Oliver answered immediately.

Other times he hesitated slightly before shaking his head.

The entire process felt strangely professional, almost like Darius had already done this dozens of times before.

Soon, the mission details were fully organized.

[D-Rank Mission]

[Mission Type: Assassination]

[Mission Commissioner: Oliver Oxfel — Small Company Owner]

[Target: Team Leader Kevin]

[Race: Human]

[Location: Dragon City Inner City — Wolf Fang Guild]

[Threat Level: Peak of the True Qi Realm]

[Recommended Cultivation: Ninth Layer of the True Qi Realm or above]

[Mission Objective: Eliminate the target]

[Reward: Not Yet Issued]

’Looks like this is how missions will generally appear from now on...’

Meanwhile, Oliver quietly sat there, occasionally glancing around the pavilion with cautious curiosity. His gaze especially lingered on Moon several times, likely sensing the dangerous aura surrounding him.

For the first time in days, a small amount of hope appeared in his heart.

’Maybe this Immortal Pavilion truly can avenge my son...’

Behind the receptionist desk, Darius finally raised his head.

"What reward are you offering for the mission?" he asked calmly before recalling something important. "And there is also the mission posting fee."

The moment those words left his mouth, the system notification sounded once again.

[Ding!]

[Host, mission posting fees are categorized as follows.]

Darius blinked.

He had indeed forgotten to properly ask about mission commission fees until now. Previously, he only knew the pavilion would take a percentage from rewards.

Soon, another transparent panel appeared before him.

[Immortal Pavilion — Mission Posting Fee Chart]

[E-Rank = 10 Gold Coins]

[D-Rank = 25 Gold Coins]

[C-Rank = 50 Spirit Stones]

[B-Rank = 150 Spirit Stones]

[A-Rank = 500 Spirit Stones]

[S-Rank = 1,500 Spirit Stones]

[SS-Rank = 6,000 Spirit Stones]

[SSS-Rank = 30,000 Spirit Stones]

Darius almost choked seeing the final numbers.

"Thirty thousand spirit stones?!"

For a brief moment, he genuinely felt dizzy.

’If someone ever posts an SSS-Rank mission, wouldn’t I become rich overnight?!’

Still, he quickly forced himself to calm down and focused back on the customer before him.

"Sir Oliver," Darius began professionally, "your mission has been evaluated as D-Rank based on multiple factors. The mission posting fee will therefore be twenty-five gold coins."

Oliver nodded without hesitation.

Reaching beneath his clothes, he slowly took out two small pouches before placing them on the table.

"You’ll find fifty gold coins in the first pouch," he explained quietly. "Please consider the extra amount my gratitude."

He then pointed toward the second pouch.

"As for this one... it contains fifty spirit stones as the mission reward."

After saying that, Oliver carefully observed Darius’s expression, seemingly trying to judge whether the amount was sufficient.

After all, fifty spirit stones was already a considerable fortune for ordinary cultivators below the second realm.

However, Darius simply shook his head.

Oliver’s heart skipped a beat for a moment.

But then Darius calmly spoke.

"The mission fee is twenty-five gold coins. The pavilion does not accept extra payment without reason, so please take back the excess amount."

Truthfully speaking, Darius’s heart was bleeding as he said those words.

If it were entirely up to him, he would have accepted every single coin happily. Unfortunately, the system had already started lecturing him internally about the pavilion’s dignity, fairness, and reputation.

Helpless, he could only reject it politely.

"As for the reward," Darius added afterward, "whether members accept the mission or not depends entirely on whether they consider the reward worthwhile."

Oliver naturally understood.

Cultivators risked their lives for resources.

If the price wasn’t enough, nobody would move.

"Understood."

He quickly retrieved half of the gold coins before standing up and bowing respectfully.

Then, without lingering further, he turned around and slowly left the pavilion.

"Return in several days," Darius calmly reminded him while watching his retreating figure. "You’ll have your answer by then."