Lisbon understood this, but his greed was hard to quell. He knew it would be a risk to push further, but he had to make some moves and see where he could gain advantages.

With a questionable smile, he spoke righteously. "Not a problem, not a problem at all! How can I withhold what rightfully belongs to the great master?!"

Then, he showed an amicable expression to Darius. "I understand that your master wants to re-issue the mission? If you could simply let me know which kingdom or empire he has in mind, then I shall personally handle everything without needing to disturb him or yourself, Lord Stone."

Gunner's eyes flashed as his aura climbed slightly. Darius didn't stop his Branded Servant this time as his eyes narrowed. He had underestimated this Guildmaster, thinking that a mercenary could not outwit a merchant.

However, Lisbon had attacked from the safest weak point of his argument. No matter how Darius put it, his words were wise and without flaw.

Should he refused, he could not blame Lisbon for anything, while - assuming the Guildmaster was daring - he could continue to raise doubts.

Darius however, read Lisbon. His posture, body language, breathing, and expression. Once he was sure that the fellow - from what Darius could see - was grasping at straws, he simply smiled and relaxed.

He waved Gunner down and spoke. "Thank you for the kind offer, but your offer assumes that Master Anderson knows or trusts you. To be blunt, sir, he doesn't. The only one he trusts in this room is me, and it is through my hands he will have his matters executed."

Understanding the naked threat, Lisbon smiled weakly. "I suppose I can't blame your master for the distrust after we've failed to meet his expectations. Why don't I let my subordinate fetch the various rewards quickly then?"

Darius acquiesced with a grin. "That would be most welcome! Just be sure to get it done quickly, as time is of the essence. I'm sure with the information I've graciously shared with you, there is a lot you need to do before the news spreads."

Lisbon's lips visibly twitched. He had already stated that he would have an aide retrieve the materials, alright? Why fire an even heavier threat - well, mostly a warning this time - just like that?

In a matter of minutes, filled with an awkward silence between the two parties, a knock on the door was heard. It opened to reveal a well-dressed female secretary with a Bag of Holding in hand. She quickly passed it over to Lisbon, bowed to the group, and left right away.

The Bag of Holding sat on the desk between Lisbon and Darius, and both men's eyes locked on to it. Then, their eyes rose and clashed in mid-air, a strange energy flowing between them.

Darius eventually smiled and reached out for the Bag of Holding slowly, maintaining eye contact with Lisbon all the while. As for the Guildmaster, he sat in his desk like someone had placed a knife at his back, his unwavering eyes meeting Darius.

However, his sweaty face and body, as well as his trembling and barely restrained arms betrayed the turmoil he was going through. Yet, even up until Darius gripped the Bag of Holding and pulled it to his side, Lisbon did not make a move.

Not that he didn't want to, his trembling told of the self-restraint he had to practice to keep his hands to himself.

Lisbon knew that if he contested with Darius over the items now, he would be heading towards the deep end, an irreconcilable act that could never be taken back.

Darius nodded to Lisbon while he placed the Bag of Holding into his Inventory. "I'll be taking my leave then. Stay strong, Lord Lisbon."

With that, he rose to his feet and left the office with Gunner, leaving Lisbon who suddenly relaxed and slumped into his seat with a sigh. What a dangerous situation, his greed had almost set him down on a path of no return!

He was partially glad for his self-restraint, partially regretful for it. If only he had been less indecisive and more courageous, he could have…

No, using brute force would have been suicidal, he reasoned. As the representative of someone at the Master stage, Darius was bound to have life-saving items on him. Given the talent of the young fellow, he was very likely the Official Apprentice of that Master Anderson...

Lisbon only felt that it was time to move on from this job. Nowadays, things were becoming too unsteady for an old fellow like him to be stressed out so badly.

.......

Once Darius and Gunner left the capital's Mercenary Guild, they were formally done with Andrato. As such, Darius opened the world map and chose to reset his home on the map to the place he had long targeted.

After receiving confirmation from the system that it was done, he opened a House Portal Scroll and used it. Immediately, a golden light shone and swallowed the duo of Darius and Gunner, taking them out of the bustling Ando City and to the 'Divine Glade'.

The Divine Glade being the unofficial name Darius had given the place he had spawned in, that lone cottage in a dark glade with pockets of sweet sunlight dripping down.

The duo re-appeared within that very same cottage, though Darius noted that there was an extra layer of dust since he had spawned and left. Darius moved to exit the cottage while Gunner curiously observed where he had teleported to.

Once Darius was out, he inspected the glade and was happy to note that it was the exact same he had seen saw last time. A small field of thick low-grass that swayed with the wind, the only ambient lighting coming from the little bits of sun that broke through the canopies.

The pool beside the cottage too was there, and Darius noticed that there was a certain light depth to it. Planning to investigate later, Darius returned to the cottage and sat down on one of the chairs lined against the dinner table.

This made him slightly nostalgic, for he had done the same thing to ponder his circumstances when he first spawned. Currently, he was about to do something similar, which was to ponder his changed characteristic and features after completing the previous quest.

As such, he took out the First Resurrection Stone and placed it on the table before him.