Hitman with a Badass System

The nobleman before Michael couldn't hide his surprise at Michael's outright rejection to sell him the book.

"I can pay you double what you paid for the book in the bidding," the man said, attempting to convince Michael to part with it. Rurik frowned, as he had never seen the red-haired man or anyone standing behind him before.

Soon, a couple of orcs arrived on the scene.

"Here come the runemasters," Rurik muttered, surprised by how many nobles and even runemasters were approaching them, eager to negotiate for the book. Rurik began to reconsider his thoughts about the book.

"Rurik, where is your guild master? You bought the book, didn't you? Let us talk to the guild master. The book is of utmost importance to the Runemasters Guild," a tall, bulky orc wearing emerald green robes said. He didn't even notice Michael as he spoke with Rurik.

"Young man, you don't want us as your enemies. Just give us the book, and we can all leave here peacefully," the red-haired man said, his voice turning cold and threatening.

Raphael stood in the corner, observing the unfolding scene, and wondered why John, the God of Darkness, was so adamant about obtaining the book.

"What are you going to do?" Michael asked with a sly grin.

"You can't fight me. We are in Goddess Seshat's domain, remember?" Michael added, knowing for certain that the nobles wouldn't dare to draw their blades as there was a strict rule against fighting within Godspire.

"You cannot stay here in Godspire forever, young man," the red-haired man said, his voice growing even colder.

"I can. Watch me," Michael replied calmly before walking away from the crowd.

"I'll send you a letter," Rurik said to the orc before following Michael. Once they had distanced themselves from the crowd, Rurik joined Michael and questioned him.

"Lad, what's in that book? Why is everyone hounding us to give it to them?" Rurik inquired. But before Michael could answer, a gray-haired old man with a gray beard approached them. He wore crimson red robes with gold trim. Michael immediately recognized the man as the one who had been bidding for the book from the commoner area.

"The book is not for sale, old man," Michael said when the old man approached him. To his slight surprise, the old man shook his head.

"I'm not going to ask for that book. By buying it, you've just put a target on yourself. I will collect that book from your corpse," said the old man, unaware that he was addressing a god. Michael felt something amiss about the old man.

"Are you threatening us, you old coot?" Rurik growled, growing angry at a stranger threatening his fellow blacksmith.

"No, I'm just decent enough to tell you what I'm going to do," said the old man. The gentle smile on the old man's face was not kind but rather the smile of a killer, and Michael knew it.

"What's up with everyone? Has everyone suddenly forgotten that Goddess Seshat prohibits fighting?" Rurik grumbled, only to see the old man chuckle coldly.

"There are some people who don't fear the rules, even if they were set by the gods themselves," said the old man before walking away.

"Who is that?" Ayag asked Michael, perched atop his shoulder. But Michael didn't respond to her. Instead, he quickened his pace toward the lobby.

As Michael and Rurik entered the lobby, they found themselves in a well-lit and opulent space. The lobby was adorned with shimmering chandeliers, marble floors, and gilded columns that reflected the wealth and grandeur of the divine auction house.

Richly dressed nobles stood at various counters, each engaged in conversations with auction house attendants. These nobles were in the process of paying for and collecting the items they had won in the auction. 

"There's an empty counter. Come on. Lets get this over with,'

Rurik said, pointing at an empty counter and leading Michael toward it. There, a young man in a formal attire greeted them with a polite smile.

"Good day, my lords. How may I assist you?" the young attendant asked, his tone courteous and welcoming.

"We are here to pick up the item we won. Here's my VIP token and the coins," Rurik handed over his golden card and a silver space ring.

"I'll be back in a minute, my lords," said the young man before heading through a large metal door adorned with various runes. As they waited for the young man to return with the book, Michael glanced over his shoulder and noticed Raphael watching them from afar.

"He isn't letting us out of his sight," Sarba whispered into Michael's ear.

"Put this thing in the cage," Michael heard a cold, emotionless voice. He turned his head to the side and saw a group of noblemen, all dressed in dark purple robes with serpents engraved on their garments. The man at the front of the group was middle-aged, with a stubble beard and long black hair.

"Son of a bitch," Ayah growled in anger, watching as the man grabbed the four-headed hydra and tossed it to another man.

Michael remained silent, sensing that he would encounter the Alistair family soon but not at this moment. He focused on his current situation. As they continued waiting, the young man finally returned to them, holding the thick, ancient book with a black cover.

The pages looked yellow and ancient, while the cover appeared plain black with no designs or engravings.

"Here you go, my lord," Michael's hand trembled as he received the book. He wanted to open it, but he was afraid the pages would crumble. The book looked incredibly old.

"I paid thirty million for the book, so is it too much to expect a space ring to store it?" Rurik grumbled, rolling his eyes.

However, the young man smiled politely. "This book cannot be put inside a space ring, my lord. It has certain runes that prevent it from being stored inside one," he informed them.

"That's weird," Rurik remarked. But Michael didn't waste any time. He grabbed the book and decided to return to the VIP pavilion.

He could have placed the book in his system storage, but it would have drawn attention if the book disappeared from his hands right away. Therefore, Michael took the book and headed back to the VIP pavilions.

"What's in the book, John?" asked Raphael, who was waiting for Michael at the stairs.

"Locations of ruins and many other pieces of information," Michael replied seriously. Rurik was surprised and believed Michael, but Raphael frowned. He couldn't bring himself to believe that Michael was telling the truth because the God of Darkness had no reason to be truthful. After all, Raphael was here to shadow the God of Darkness and capture him when he left Goldspire.

As Michael ascended the stairs, clutching the book tightly in his hand, he noticed the red-haired man waiting for him.

"Who are these people?" Rurik asked, puzzled. There were no emblems or crests on their chests to identify them.

"There it is..." the red-haired man's eyes lusted for the book. As Michael approached his room, the man stood between him and the door, reaching for the book.

But Michael quickly moved the book out of his reach and frowned.

"If you wanted this book so badly, you should have bid more," Michael said coldly. However, the man seemed oblivious to Michael's words, his gaze still locked onto the book.

"Give it to me," the man demanded once more.

"This is your last warning, whoever you are. Get out of my sight before I call the guards," Rurik growled in anger, having had enough of the strange red-haired man.

Sarba then noticed that the old man was watching them from a distance behind Michael.

To her surprise, the red-haired man disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Michael ignored Sarba and continued to gaze at the red-haired man with a cold, murderous intent. His unwavering gaze broke the man's eye contact with the book.

"Very well, you've just signed your death warrant," the man said coldly before walking away from Michael.

As he walked away, Raphael approached Michael with a knowing smile.

"You're making quite a few enemies, John," Raphael remarked as Michael headed toward the Blacksmith Guild pavilion.

"Bad luck for them," Michael chuckled as he opened the door.

"You wouldn't have made them your enemies if you knew who that man was," Raphael cryptically spoke, leaving Rurik and Vedora perplexed.

"Do you know him? Who was that guy?" Rurik inquired.

"Wrong question. You should ask who that man serves and worships," Raphael replied, avoiding a direct answer.

"You're not going to answer us, are you?" Ayag rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Where's the fun if I tell you everything?" Raphael laughed, leaving them with a sense of mystery and intrigue.

*********************************

The red-haired man returned to his VIP pavilion, a space adorned with luxurious sofas neatly arranged around a central area where a grand fireplace burned brightly.

Inside, several others were present, each kneeling before a bowl placed at the center of the room. They were deeply absorbed in their ritual, their faces a mix of reverence and anticipation. 

"She is here." As the red-haired man entered, one of the kneeling figures whispered, 

At these words, the red-haired man took a deep breath, his eyes reflecting a strange mixture of fear and devotion. He approached the bowl, retrieving a dagger that lay beside it. 

With deliberate and practiced precision, he cut open his wrist, blood welling up and spilling into the bowl. The crimson fluid mixed with whatever dark substance lay within, creating a sinister concoction.

The man's face remained stoic as he carried out this unsettling ritual, and the room was enveloped in an eerie silence, broken only by the crackling of the fireplace and the soft murmurs of those who kneeled in worship. 

Suddenly, the blood within the bowl coalesced and took on a humanoid form. This blood-made figure was small, barely three feet tall, and entirely comprised of crimson liquid.

"Have you located it?" the man felt a shiver run down his spine when he heard her voice. If death and blood had a child, its voice would sound like hers.

"Yes, Lady Rin," the man replied, his voice quivering with fear.

"Do you have it?" inquired Rin. The man remained silent, too afraid to respond.

"You had better possess that book by the end of this week. Otherwise, I will extract every drop of your blood and offer you as a sacrifice to Xyloth," the mysterious entity known as Rin warned the man, causing the worshippers to tremble in fear.

(Read Chapter 1126 to refresh your memories about Xyloth)