Chapter 476 – Handing Over the Task

Punk completely ignored Kirk Weilen’s intentions. Under the gaze of numerous astonished mages, he casually cast an “Anywhere Door” and stepped directly through it, disregarding Kirk Weilen’s meaningful stare.

“Caw caw, I say Boss, you’re just too cool. Look at that level nineteen Old Mage, he’s practically stunned. Haha, his constipated expression is absolutely hilarious, caw caw.”

Perched on Punk’s shoulder, Vector was always slow to pick up on atmospheres. The Magic Raven had no intention of conforming to the solemn mood in the hall. Watching Kirk Weilen’s smile freeze on his aged face, an amused Vector even found the mind to suppress his laughter and whisper teasing remarks in Punk’s ear.

Since Punk hadn’t even glanced at Sorsend, he didn’t find the “expression” Vector mentioned particularly amusing. Feeling the Magic Raven muttering by his ear, Punk simply placed a finger against Vector’s beak and uttered a low command:

“Shut up!”

Applying slight pressure with his finger on Vector’s beak, Punk nudged the Magic Raven’s head back to its original position.

The exit of the “Anywhere Door” opened in front of the task handover counter. Stepping out in one stride, Punk coldly presented his identity token to the golem before him and stated:

“I am Senior Mentor Punk Cyan. I’m here to hand over the ‘Dragon Slaying’ mission.”

“Greetings, Mage Cyan. According to records, you and Mage Benlajie Nokani accepted the ‘Dragon Slaying’ mission on the 7th day of the 13th month, 7729 New Calendar of Gray Rain Country. Can you confirm the mission has been completed? Please note, you are accountable for every word you speak. Should future evidence prove your report inconsistent with facts, you may face penalties from the Thought of Truth.”

The seemingly dull-witted golem scanned Punk’s identity token, then mechanically recited the standardized “mission regulations” applicable to everyone.

For a “Senior Mentor,” the “mission completion confirmation” mentioned by the golem was essentially just a straightforward acknowledgment.

In reality, due to the high unpredictability and delayed nature of events involving powerful beings in this world, theoretically, once a Senior Mentor accepting a mission “confirms” completion at the task counter, the mission reward would be credited to the acceptor’s identity token.

However, one shouldn’t assume they can easily deceive the seemingly foolish golem. As stated in the “mission regulations,” those accepting missions are fully responsible for every statement they make when reporting mission progress. If a mage falsely claims completion without actually accomplishing the task…

If undiscovered, all might be well. But if exposed… deception is among the most intolerable acts within the Thought of Truth. Throughout its history, there has only ever been one punishment for “deceit” within the organization—death!The reception golem’s few mechanical queries now sounded rather indifferent, but everyone knew that behind this seemingly casual and unserious mechanical voice lay the strict rules and systems of the Thought of Truth. Anyone attempting to violate them had better carefully weigh their own capabilities, because what they would face then wouldn’t be this fragile-looking golem before them, but an entire legendary organization—the Thought of Truth!

However, for Punk… he had nothing to fear.

On one hand, with the Haitzita Magic Box in his possession, Punk feared no investigation through divination spells. On the other hand… Ovakain Acidmaw’s death was an indisputable fact, and Joni Zordas, the already deceased mission issuer, certainly couldn’t come knocking to file a complaint.

As for the news of Benlajie Nokani’s death… this was even more normal—how fragile Master-Level casters were in this world. Surviving a dangerous Master-Level mission without a total wipeout was already considered lucky; losing one teammate was far too common.

Thus, even though the warnings in the “Mission Regulations” were extremely serious and stringent, the completely unperturbed Punk calmly reported his mission to the golem with a composed expression.

“In my own name—Punk Cyan—I can confirm: Ovakain Acidmaw’s complete death is a fact, and Benlajie Nokani’s unfortunate death in battle is also a fact. Thus, the ‘Dragon Slaying’ mission has been successfully completed. According to mission regulations, I do not need to hand over any spoils of war to the Thought of Truth.”

Having delivered his report with perfect composure, Punk continued standing in place, watching the slow-processing reception golem.

The golem at the Thought of Truth branch appeared not to have been updated or maintained for centuries. After listening to Punk’s fluent report, this low-level golem buzzed in place for a full several seconds before responding to Punk:

“Senior Mentor Punk Cyan has confirmed mission completion. According to the predetermined mission reward, fifteen thousand exchange points have been transferred to your identity badge. If Benlajie Nokani does not return to the Thought of Truth to claim his reward within ten years, the fifteen thousand exchange points belonging to Senior Mentor Nokani will also be transferred to your badge.”

After delivering this perfectly ordinary mission processing solution, the golem respectfully handed the identity badge back to Punk. Then, the small golem returned to its corner of the counter, motionless once more—it was waiting for other mission handovers. As a golem, it required no rest.

But in reality, regardless of whether this reception golem needed rest or not, it appeared it would remain on standby for quite some time.

Because due to Punk’s arrival, the already silent Mission Hall had become even more hushed—aside from the two present Master-Level casters, there wasn’t a single apprentice or official mentor left in the hall. During the time Punk was handling his mission handover, nearly all the mages had rushed out through the entrance in a panic. It seemed that unless they confirmed both Punk and Kirk Weilen had departed, they wouldn’t be willing to stay in this hall for even one more second, no matter how urgent their missions might be.It was precisely because all the mages had departed that Punk, having stored away his identity plaque and turned to leave, now had to directly face Kirk Weilen who was approaching at a leisurely pace—with no other apprentices or mages left in the hall, pretending not to see him would have been far too pointless.

Watching Kirk Weilen come to a halt about two meters away, Punk narrowed his eyes slightly with a chill intensity.

Though the Magic Raven Vector shifting restlessly on his shoulder somewhat disrupted the tense atmosphere, this minor incongruity wasn’t enough to disturb the standoff between Punk and this “branch director.”

Yes, it was a standoff—one between two level nineteen Master-Level powerhouses!

In truth, the standoff between Punk and Kirk Weilen, a mage of the Lawful Good alignment, had begun the moment they entered the hall. But now, both Punk and Kirk Weilen had concluded their silent probing of one another.

Especially Kirk Weilen… At this moment, the mage who always maintained an unfathomably serene smile finally relinquished that expression—a benevolent grin that felt both perfectly natural and utterly discordant.

“Hello, Mr. Cyan. Welcome back to the Thought of Truth.”

(End of Chapter)