In some ways, it seemed clever, and in some, it seemed rash. What if by giving out this mission, instead of attracting people to work hard for him, they would rather cut corners and just slaughter Darius or pressure the Mercenary Guild to cough up the reward?
What if when they rush into the Plains of Death and many of the weaker ones die - which frankly seemed inevitable - they would rise up as Undead and become troops for the zone?
What if a group of Adept champions felt greedy and decided to charge into the third band and actually managed to kill the Stonekeeper, then found the First Resurrection Stone? What if they realized it was more valuable than anything Darius could offer and refused to cough it up?
Once Darius generated this first step, he realized he had found around 300,000 possible outcomes that Caesar calculated at the least. Of course, he couldn't perform such heavy computation on his own, even with 50 points in Intellect, but he could vaguely see the paths.
There were many 'what if's' that plagued this plan, but it was the best Darius could come up with in the interim, because he absolutely needed to take time off to research the Plains of Death in detail.
Rushing off because he was pressured by the 1-month deadline would be relying on luck a bit too much. Darius had inferred from Vena and Caesar's talk that he was some sort of protagonist in this Faustian saga, but Darius was a realist.
In the media he had consumed with his family on Earth, no matter the rashness or carelessness of protagonists, they would always be protected by luck and some cosmic force because the writers could not have the story end for obvious reasons.
Unfortunately for Darius, his 'writers' Caesar and Vena would not shed a single tear if they were forced to replace him upon failure. There were billions or possibly trillions of souls they could pull from death to turn into a new 'protagonist', just like they had done for him.
Up until now, Darius wasn't even sure if he was the first one to be sent out. It seemed a bit far-fetched to think of himself as the Chosen One, and the first test subject of Vena. It was more likely he had just been another one that fit the criteria.
As such, Darius had to act like he was on his own and that nothing would miraculously save him at the last minute. Caution was imperative and so was careful planning.
It was what had saved him many times on Earth, from his rivals' plots to the wandering eye of the public as well as the authorities. Of course, there was some reliance on luck, which was something Darius always made room for.
Whether on Earth or in Faust, Darius had always believed that luck made 1% of his success chance for any endeavor. The rest was, of course, made up of hard work and foresight.
Settled on his plan, Darius went to take a bath since Gunner had long since finished and was about to head off to sleep. Darius himself needed to rest after the long day, so after his bath, he planned to nod off.
However, there was a soft knock on his door that surprised him. Who would come searching for him at this late hour?
Once he opened the door, still with a towel wrapped around his waist and his chest bare, he noticed that it was the girl he had called the other night, Emily. She wore a slightly revealing blue dress and bowed to Darius once she saw him, revealing slightly more.
"Good evening, Sir Darius. I was interested in knowing if you would like to request my service tonight, too?" Emily asked forwardly, forcefully suppressing her rising worry and shame.
Darius tilted his head in genuine confusion. "Not tonight. I'm quite tired today. However, from tomorrow evening, you can visit me as your regular."
Emily had been saddened by his response at first, but lit up when he informed her of his intention to requisition her in the coming days. With another dainty curtsy, she acquiesced.
"It shall be my pleasure, Sir Darius."
As she was about to leave and Darius was closing the door, the fellow noticed Gunner on the bed who was sleeping soundlessly this time. This reminded him of something as he quickly stopped Emily.
"Also, when you're coming next time, bring a friend."
Emily was startled by this, "Am I not good enough, Sir…?"
Darius shook his head, opening the door slightly more to reveal the sleeping Gunner. "I was thinking of my servant."
"Ah.." Emily exclaimed, remembering the lad who had remained asleep the entire time she had serviced Darius previously.
Darius turned back to gaze at Gunner once more before adding with a bitter tone. "Also, make sure your friend is… durable. Otherwise, it would be a disaster."
Emily nodded as her lips twitched. Seeing the size of Gunner compared to Darius, she could infer many things. Luckily, she had a circle of friends that should be able to meet these requirements.
Done with her nightly visit, Emily bowed once more before leaving, Darius' eyes trailing her form as she left. With a slight smile, the fellow closed the door and went to rest, his mind back to pressing matters.
* * *
Time passed quickly when you were on a deadline. Darius spent the first day purchasing all books he could about the Plains of Death and read them diligently.
He even found time to visit Bistro and Lord Spencely to discuss with them the details of the Plains of Death. Darius did it openly, stating that he had a target there he had to kill.
Lord Spencely and Bistro were intrigued by what Darius planned to offer and even gave him advice on how to arrange things in a way that would best benefit him and the Mercenary Guild.
The best part was that both Spencely and Bistro promised him that they would inform the leader of the Mercenary Guild of his eventual visit so everything could be negotiated smoothly.
