Completing The Mission

Could there be a robbery in progress within the living quarters?' he pondered. However, he quickly dismissed this idea, knowing that each house was fortified with formations that would alert the sect to any attempted intrusion. Even if someone had managed to bypass the formations, they would need to be a peak master, which seemed unlikely given the low disturbance level.

As Leo's thoughts raced, he continued to back away cautiously. Recalling the system alert that had sounded when he reached Thomas's doorstep, he deduced that the disturbance was somehow linked to Thomas's place. Leo began to consider the possibility of an assassination in progress inside Thomas's house, speculating that the assassin may have been someone Thomas knew and had allowed inside.

However, Leo recognized that this theory lacked evidence, and thus decided to keep it in the back of his mind while exploring other possibilities. Despite the intensity of the situation, he tried to remain level-headed and rational as he assessed the situation at hand.

Then Leo remembered the information he had received from the mission hall: Thomas was an alchemist. This realization prompted Leo to consider another possibility: 'Perhaps Thomas had discovered a new recipe.' Leo believed this scenario held a higher likelihood of occurrence compared to an assassination, especially after learning that Thomas was merely an inner sect disciple. In Leo's mind, a new recipe seemed more likely to alter the course of events than an assassination. However, just like the assassination theory, Leo lacked any evidence to substantiate this idea. Consequently, Leo made the decision to first attempt to predict the new recipe. If his prediction proved incorrect, only then would he consider the assassination theory. With that in mind, Leo began making predictions.

[

Predict

Disturbance Factor : 1

Cause : Thomas discovered a new recipe

Submit : 36,000 karma points

]

Leo was confident that even if he lost, the consequences would not be severe due to the disturbance factor. With that in mind, he placed his prediction using all of his karma points, just like he always did. He patiently waited for the system's response, and soon enough, he heard the familiar alert sound, followed by a loud explosion.

The sudden noise caught Leo off guard, and he couldn't help but wonder if the alert sound had changed. As he looked around, he noticed smoke rising from Thomas's house and realized that the explosion sound had not come from his mind, but from Thomas's residence.

As Leo watched smoke billowing out of Thomas's house, he appreciated his caution natue once again. It had prompted him to back away from the house when he first heard the system disturbance alert, and now he retreated even further. While keeping an eye on the smoke, Leo's mind raced with questions: 'Did I get it wrong? Did someone plant a bomb in Thomas's house for an assassination?' He regretted not choosing assassination as his initial prediction, but still believed he had time to make another prediction. However, a system warning interrupted his thoughts.

[ If a disruption occurs in the flow of destiny and the underlying cause is determined, the host is unable to make any further predictions. ]

Upon receiving the alert, Leo realized that every disturbance event had a time limit. If he failed to predict an event before it occurred, he would lose his right to make predictions. This was a rule he had already anticipated. Leo thought to himself, 'If all the disturbances have already occurred and I learn their causes after the fact, the system won't require my assistance in identifying the causes and reducing the probabilities.'

As Leo was lost in thought, he noticed the front door of Thomas's house open, and a disheveled-looking man stepped outside, coughing. Leo looked up, feeling uneasy, and scrutinized the man's appearance while using the System inspect feature on him. He began to back away, silently speculating that the person in front of him might be the assassin. He stopped abruptly when he realized that the man was, in fact, Thomas himself.

[

Name: Thomas

Spirutal Root : Fire Starter (Divine Grade - Fire Qi)

Talent : 65

Cultivation realm : Middle Stage Of Foundation Estabhlisment

]

Leo pondered the situation and thought, 'So Thomas is alive and this wasn't an assassination attempt.' Feeling puzzled, he decided to check the system history and was greeted with a screen displaying that his prediction was correct, earning him a whopping 36,000 karma points. He checked the system interface to ensure that nothing was amiss and confirmed that his balance was now 72,000 karma points.

Leo's prediction had proven correct: the explosion was the result of Thomas alchemy experiment, and there was no assassination plot. Disappointed, Leo felt like he had hyped himself up for some drama, perhaps even envisioning a bombing of an inner sect disciple's house. But now, his hopes were shattered, and he watched as Thomas coughed, the scene a far cry from the excitement he had imagined.

Thomas resembled a homeless man, his white hair disheveled and covered in ashes from the aftermath of the explosion. His pair of yellow eyes were half-closed, obscured by the dust that filled the air. Leo cautiously approached him, making his presence known. Thomas, behaving erratically, moved about like a lunatic, frantically patting his robe in an attempt to clean it. He muttered to himself, "I found a new recipe. I did it!" He paused momentarily, contemplating, "But what kind of recipe did I discover?"

Observing Thomas' actions, Leo realized that Thomas hadn't yet noticed him. With a sense of helplessness, Leo decided to initiate the conversation and greeted him, to which Thomas reflexively responded in kind.

Leo's patience was wearing thin, so he stepped in front of Thomas and said firmly, "Senior Brother Thomas, I'm here to deliver the mission item you posted in the mission hall." Thomas looked up, looking confused, and asked, "I'm sorry, could you remind me who you are?"

Taking a deep breath, Leo attempted to remain calm and spoke slowly, "My name is Leo, and I'm an outer sect disciple who accepted your mission on the mission board." Thomas finally seemed to understand and replied, "Ah, yes! You're the disciple who accepted my mission."

As he listened, Leo heard Thomas apologize, "I'm sorry for the mess. If it were suitable, I would invite you in as a guest." Leo responded politely, "There's no need."

Thomas proceeded to explain why his place was unsuitable, "I was in the middle of an alchemy experiment and stumbled upon a new recipe." Leo observed Thomas pausing, sensing his shame and hesitation. It seemed as though Thomas didn't want to recount the events following his discovery. Determined to press on and seek retribution for being ignored earlier, Leo inquired, "And then there was an explosion?"

Thomas's voice lowered unwillingly as he reluctantly continued, "Well, you see, after realizing I had found a new recipe, I became excited and distracted, losing control of my energy. The cauldron became unstable, resulting in an explosion."

Leo noticed Thomas's voice trailing off towards the end of his explanation, and the shame on his face became apparent. Sensing his discomfort, Leo asked again, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. The explosion left me with a ringing in my ears, making it difficult to hear. Could you please repeat what you said?"

At this point, Thomas's face displayed a mixture of apology and embarrassment. He repeated the same explanation, this time raising his voice to ensure clarity.

Leo acknowledged that he had done enough and said to Thomas, "I understand," as he took out the mission items from his inventory and presented them to him. "These are the mission items," he stated.

Thomas received the items and handed over ten spirit stones, remarking, "Oh yes, this is the mission reward." Leo accepted the reward and said, "I hope you will inform the mission hall and update the mission status to 'completed.'"

Thomas reassured him, "Don't worry, Junior Brother. Once I am finished here, I will make my way to the main peak and visit the alchemy hall. Before that, I will definitely stop by the mission hall and update the mission status." After concluding his business with Thomas, Leo bid him farewell before departing.