28: The Stolen Pearl [pt1]

"You all, pack up since we will be leaving this town in the next few hours. We have done enough hunting and cleaning up for now."

Seeing as how the Grandmaster was in a bad mood now, no one tried to go against him. Although they had their misgivings, no one wanted to face the wrath of the Grandmaster.

So even though the town had not been cleaned up properly, they all decided to pack up their bags and get ready to leave the town.

The townspeople, who did not know that they were not 100% safe yet, decided to hold a banquet for their town to be safe again. And they sang the praises of the Grandmaster and the guild for saving them from sudden death.

"Hey, you all. I know you all are ready to go back but you all need to make sure this town is safe as well. So we will be warding this town off while we still have time."

Master Shinzou crushed the happiness and relief of the guild people who did not want to work anymore. It was not going to be easy to be left alone by their duties.

The lower-level guild members grumbled but they did as they had been asked. They liked their life and Master Shinzou was a tough master to please.

Meanwhile, Keith hurried up to go back to his room. His heart was beating faster and faster by the second. He had never imagined running into the protagonist, much less having him stand and talk with Keith.

"Hey, calm down. No one is chasing after you. Don't forget that you are the Grandmaster."

Keith's body reacted to those words and he slowed down. His body was too conditioned to not react to Clair's words and he took in a deep breath.

Yes, he needed to relax and make sure he was not caught by anyone. He had finally managed to calm down when his eyes met Master Fushi's flaming ones.

For a second, Keith felt like he would be charged and Master Fushi would demand who he was. He was certain that he had been found out by the master. He almost closed his eyes but managed to retain his dignity and stand straight.

"Grandmaster, I heard the order of our retreat. Do I need to get anything done before we have to head back?"

Keith breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he heard Master Fushi speak in such a cold voice. It was her regular voice and she was also not acting any different from before.

It was almost as if she did not remember what had happened between them and that filled Keith with a sense of relief. He was also going to behave as if nothing happened between them.

"There is no need to do anything more. Just retain your over-zealous puppy squad and we will be ready to go back."

Keith ordered and Master Fushi bowed. She was about to say something more when she stopped herself and left Keith alone. He was, once again, going through an adrenaline rush and his heart found it hard to calm down.

Clair, who watched it all happen, snickered as she watched Keith struggle to catch her breath. She was enjoying his discomfort too much and it was a pity he could not hurt her.

"Alright, that's enough laughing around. If you are done with me, then go and help Shimi out right now. I am sure she would appreciate your help."

Clair's laugh calmed down once she heard that order. Her stare was almost a glare but she did not say anything and obeyed him.

Keith breathed a sigh of relief as he closed his door and nothing happened next. He was finally able to relax and he was not looking forward to what would happen next.

///////////////////////////////

Keith strolled with confidence as everyone else bowed in front of him. He was the image of power and no one could even say anything to him.

This scene happened in the main hall of the guild alliance and the people looking down were the ones who had not volunteered to come with him. And it was all because they had lost something very important.

"Tell me, how did you lose Mother Pearl while I was not here? And how will we take responsibility for this mishap?"

Keith's voice was full-on Grandmaster mode as he watched the people squirm in their seats. The Mother Pearl was one of the grand treasures of the guild alliance and it was so famous that even Keith knew about it.

It was one of the treasures that the Mystica was proud of and it was also something that had led to the original Grandmaster's downfall. It was not something that could be allowed to be out of his sight.

Keith had decided to keep it in a safe as soon as he had come back. Mainly because he had a small run-in with a protagonist.

Imagine his surprise when he came back, only to know that the very treasure he was about to keep safe had gone missing. And all because these idiots had not paid attention to him.

"Go out and find it at all costs. If you are not able to find the Pearl don't show your faces here. You will die before you will be able to speak any apologies."

The guild members hurried out as if their behinds were on fire. They did not know when they would die.

As they were going out, their eyes met Master Shinzou's bloody eyes and the katana in his hand. It was drawn out just a little but it was enough to make everyone go white.

Once the guild members were out, Master Shinzou turned toward the Grandmaster who looked scary real. He had hardly seen the Grandmaster this angry before.

"Should I go out and look for Mother Pearl as well? I have a feeling it will soon make an appearance in the black market."

Master Shinzou knew the information network of spiritual goods since he followed it. As such, he would be the most appropriate person to look for such items.

Keith wanted the item found but he did not want Shinzou involved with this case. But he still had no choice but to allow Shinzou to be connected with this case since he was the only person who could find Mother Pearl.

"Fine, you can go to look for it. But be careful since I don't have a good feeling about it."

Keith warned as he made his way toward the central platform. He was about to sit down on it when he noticed a drop on the ground. He quickly took a step back, not knowing where the drop had come from.

He was lucky to have stepped back since another drop fell the next second and then another. The places where the drops were falling fell apart due to the corrosive liquid that was contained in the drop.

Shinzou was the first one to react to that threat and he did not sound happy when he growled out the next words.

"Everyone, stand on alert. Someone is trying to assassinate the Grandmaster once again. Hurry and lock all exist and look for the killer."

As for Keith, he wanted to clutch his heart and make it calm down. He had been seconds away from dying and he had not even realized it. He could still not believe that he had been about to die.

It had been his stupidly good luck that had managed to save him in time. But he had a feeling that it would not happen a second time for him.

He needed to find a way to stay safe.

'Clair. I need to find Clair and she will keep me safe.'

Keith had a one-track mind right now. He was too frightened to think why it was not a good idea to leave the hall unattended. His brain had zoned out to find Clair.

Shinzou noticed the Grandmaster leave and he was about to follow him when he thought better. The Grandmaster was someone who always had a plan and he was sure that the Grandmaster had a plan right now as well.

There was no need to follow him or to be worried about it. It would be all but an insult to the Grandmaster to have Shinzou worry for him.

"S-Sir, should we follow the Grandmaster?"

A guard asked beyond nervously. He looked ready to wet his pants but his courage was making him speak these words.

Shinzou looked at the man, but then he looked up.

"No need. Even if we all combine, we will not be able to keep up with the Grandmaster. I am sure he has a plan right now he cannot tell us about. Let's leave him be."

The guard breathed a sigh of relief as he heard Master Shinzou's words. It seemed as if he would not have to face the Grandmaster today.