Cultivating As A Side Character

When I next entered the Mission Hall, one of the workers there got my attention before I could reach the wall where I usually found escort mission of low-risk level to me. "Disciple Xu Zuhui, correct? I have good news for you. You've been recommended for a special restricted mission. Here."

[Protect the Bi-Annual Goods Caravan]

[Total roster: 12 Outer Cout Disciples, 4 Inner Court Disciples, 1 Elder]

[Every 6 months, a wide variety of goods are assembled at the coastal city of Qialing, which travels along the full length of the Scholar's Road to the Library's province capital of Xinhuan. Many items of high value are routinely transferred to the cities along the route alongside the normal trade goods, so it is a routine responsibility of the 10,000 Scrolls Library to ensure the caravan is well-protected. As such, participation of Outer Court disciples is invite-only, reserved for distinguished disciples.]

[Reward: 10,000 Gold, 1 Contribution point per 2 days. Contribution may be added or deducted based on performance.]

[Estimated duration of journey: 60 days.]

I whistled. "30 points solid and 2 months away from the sect. The staff here have been paying attention to my mission preferences."

"You accept, then?"

"I do. When does this start?"

"Disciples are to assemble with the elder in charge of the security at Qialing City 3 days from now after morning meal. You will take the teleport formation at the Reception Gate Hall as usual. As this is a group mission and an invitational mission, I'll need your signature for the roster."

"Absolutely." There were already 8 other names on the roster…and I noticed Li Han's name on the 5th line.

"You're all set. Remember, 3 days from now."

"No problem there, it's already recorded in my System." Indeed it was, the usual mission description in that space had added an additional line counting down hours to commencement.

It'll be a lot louder than usual, but this should still be a very nice mission. As long as Li Han doesn't get too chatty with me, it'll probably even be fun. This feels like discovering an exclusive mission in Frontiers Online!

I gave Lo Kien an extended training session, since the special mission would take me away from the sect for quite some time. Up until now, I had only given him a few lessons, but I was already noticing improvements in how he fought. By the evening before departure, I was starting to think that he was right to not want to stay a "D Rank nobody."

I slept that night and woke at dawn. Upon teleporting to Qialing, the place for assembly was extremely easy to find. Even if I'd had Senyu Quan's sense of direction, I just needed to go towards where dozens of goods wagons were gathered on the road. From there, it didn't take me long to find the elder in charge. He checked my sect ID badge against the roster. "Xu Zuhui, good. You're the third to arrive. Stand by for now, don't stray away from the caravan. Once the others arrive, I'll address everyone at once."

About an hour passed, as I steadily watched the caravan appear closer and closer to being fully ready to depart. When the elder called for all disciples to assemble, the four Inner Court members in front of the rest of us, I couldn't help but notice even Li Han looked serious.

"Good," the elder began, "we're on schedule. For those of you who don't know me, I am Elder Du. The caravan will depart in one more hour. For any of you low on supplies, we are only five days from Corin City. At each city, the caravan will rest for one day, giving all of you plenty of time to purchase supplies, or you may even entertain yourselves if you wish. However, if you cause any trouble in the city, the contribution points you earn from this mission will be halved, and you will be forbidden from leaving the caravan's side from then on. If you cause any trouble for the caravan, especially destroying any of the goods, you will be considered to have failed the mission and sent back to the sect to await further punishment. Am I understood?"

"Yes elder," we chorused.

"One more thing. Maybe there are some elders in this sect who tolerate bullies, but I do not. Inner Court disciples, I expect you to order an Outer Court disciple to assist you only when a task actually requires such assistance. All four of you have better things to do on this trip than to boss people around. Two of you will ride at the caravan's rear and look out behind us. The other two will be in charge of protecting the wagon I specify. The rest of you, spread yourselves out among the rest of the wagons, and await departure. You're all dismissed."

I acted quickly, sitting at the rear of a wagon close to the front, getting as close to an approximation of comfortable as I could manage. Then, I got a book out from my System Inventory and read while the final preparations went on around me. Even on normal escort trips, things were too loud while a carriage or wagon or what have you was in motion for me to have much luck cultivating or studying a technique. On those occasions, I was too busy looking out for threats anyway, but I was no more able to cultivate or study now that I didn't need to be on watch.

That was what nights, when the proprietors, and more to the point in this case their horses and oxen, rested were for. As I was setting up for the first night, I noted with satisfaction that several, though not a majority, of the other guarding disciples were clearly used to the same practice.

As dawn neared, Li Han came up to me from where he'd been socializing with other disciples who'd built a fire. "Sorry to interrupt, but I am curious how much progress you've made."

I shrugged. "I'm a bit less than halfway toward being able to use it…I think. It's hard to say with a technique of this level."

"Very true. We should be moving out in a few minutes anyway."

"That we should. It's time to stop for now." I put the scroll for Blossom Ray Thrust in my inventory and looked up. "I get the feeling this isn't your first time on one of these major outings."

"That's right," said Li Han, "sometimes things do go wrong, but the Library's territory is very peaceful. It's usually like an extended vacation with a fair amount of Contribution Points on top. It's sort of a reward for those who regularly take escort missions, which are unpopular with most disciples, and who also have the ability to keep up when things do go wrong."

By the time we arrived in Corin City, I estimated that I was just over halfway to being able to use Blossom Ray Thrust, rather than under. I decided to relax a little by going shopping for something to hang on the wall in my room. Then, when I got bored with that without deciding on anything, I wandered streets by myself, looking for anything I might find interesting.

As it turned out, something interesting found me. "Hey mister."