"I'm the head of this branch," Peika smiled, "One of Hitlawn's three founding executives."
"An Ascender by the title of Sapphire Executive."
"Ascender?" Pilkan was startled to say the least, exclaiming in surprise, "You've surpassed the Invoker Stage?"
"Yeah," Peika nodded in response.
"Then, that means you're on the same level as our Clan Head." Pilkan said in excitement, "Then sister, let's save mom first. With your strength, we can get enough medicine for her."
"I'm afraid that's not possible." Peika said, watching his expression collapse immediately, sighing as she said, "Don't forget that I have a Human Invoked Spirit. So, I can never show myself out in the open. If I do, it wouldn't just be the Lan Clan that comes after me, but pretty much every organisation that operates in the open."
"Then…" Pilkan sighed, shaking his head, intending to say something when Peika interrupted.
"But, I've been helping mom in secret all along. Even though I haven't revealed myself, our parents are pretty smart. They might have put together things by now." She flashed a subtle smile, "I'll continue to help them in secret. And if anyone dares take action on them…"
Her eyes turned vicious as Peika said with a chilling tone, "They'll be decimated."
As the head of a criminal organisation, Peika had all the capabilities to see through whatever she said. She herself was strong enough to oppose the Lan Clan Head. Therefore, she truly didn't have anything to fear. After all, she had a Human Invoked Spirit, stronger than others at the same level as her.
She then stared at Pilkan, smiling upon seeing him drink the tea. It was a subtle indication that he was on her side. For a moment, upon seeing how big he had grown as compared to when she last saw him, her eyes turned a tad moist.
But, she wasn't as melodramatic as people her age, having truly been through hell multiple times, not to mention being subjected to horrors as the head of a criminal organisation. Her hands weren't clean in the slightest.
And, now that Pilkan too arrived here, she was aware that he would traverse the same path as her. But, even if she desired otherwise, there wasn't any better option for Pilkan, someone with a Human Invoked Spirit.
Therefore, her only choice was to support Pilkan until he grew enough to protect himself in this dangerous environment.
"You came here to join Hitlawn, right?" She asked, sighing upon seeing him nod, "There's one condition that you must always follow."
Her voice turned serious as she said, "Never reveal your identity to anyone beyond our organisation, including our family. Protect them in secret. And, if someone were to learn of your identity…"
Her tone turned chilly, "Eliminate them on the spot. That's all you need to care about."
She then took out a badge that she handed over, saying, "Keep this with you."
The badge was kite-shaped, seemingly made out of sapphire, possessing a mild glint. It felt hard to the touch as Pilkan observed it, asking in response, "What's this?"
"A badge containing my authority. Having it means you report directly to me." Peika said, "This will help make your life easier in Hitlawn. If you want any resources, money, or anything else, head to the Mission Center and pick a mission of your choice. If you complete it, you'll be rewarded accordingly."
"Alright, thanks, sis." Pilkan left the room, still reeling from the shock of everything he had seen and heard, unable to digest the fact that his sister was still alive. Though, it was also apparent that his sister had changed, greatly so.
The once kind and gentle Peika was no more, replaced by a tyrant that has committed all the atrocities one could imagine.
So, he was having mixed feelings about it, wondering as he made his way through what seemed to be an underground cave, filled with stairs that headed in every which way.
After asking for directions, he arrived at the Missions Center. There was a guard stationed there, a Superior Invoker that was a rather famous assassin. He was generally the one that took charge of killing the young masters and misuses of powerful Clans.
"Your rank?" The guard stopped Pilkan, asking curtly.
'Rank?' Pilkan wasn't aware of what the guard was asking about. But, there was one thing that could solve his situation as he took out the sapphire badge and showed it to the guard.
"Are you new here?" The guard only raised an eyebrow before asking him, "You reek of a freshwater fish."
"Freshwater fish?" Pilkan tilted his head.
"It means someone that hasn't bathed in the blood of his enemies yet." A passer-by commented casually and entered the building.
"You need to set up your identity first. Only after that can you accept missions." The guard said, pointing at a nearby building, "Even in a criminal organisation, everything is organised."
"Thank you," Pilkan nodded in response and headed to the nearby building, creating his identity which was completed in a jiffy once he flashed his sapphire badge. His sister truly was the person that headed the place.
He was then allowed entry into the Missions Center, a building that practically hung down from the ceiling of the underground cave.
There once existed a massive pond, an underground reservoir of water beneath Wakttark City. During the intense conflict eight years ago, it dried up. At that time, Peika chanced upon the place and reinforced it, turning it into the hideout of the Hitlawn criminal organisation that she founded with the help of her comrades.
There were discrete wells located throughout the city that led to this location, the means used by the criminals to execute a variety of tasks.
Pilkan entered the building, noticing tiny wooden slabs posted all over the walls as a team of servants constantly jutted about, changing the wooden slabs as the Invokers obtained them one after another.
Once someone accepted a mission, the respective wooden slab would be removed from the wall. Curious to see what sort of missions existed, Pilkan was just about to look at them when his eyes fell upon a servant that added a new batch of wooden slabs to the wall.
His gaze focused on one of them, surprised to read the details of the mission.
[Assassinate the Lan Clan's treasury keeper that fled]
