Shang kept training, but eventually, he consumed all the Grade Five Mind Flow Pellets he had bought.
However, they had already shown quite a good effect, and Shang had gained plenty of inspiration.
He was not only focusing on comprehending the Concept of Addition but also on how to apply it to his fighting style.
After using up all of the Mind Flow Pellets, Shang also summoned some beasts to fight against. He didn't want to fight them while being under the effects of the Mind Flow Pellet since it made it harder for him to focus.
Shang wasn't training against anything too difficult. He was mostly summoning powerful Mid Archbeasts, which were just one level above him.
Every couple of days, Shang would return to his real body and check in on things.
Just as expected, he was still just sitting near the Yellow Sunbreaker.
Well, to be honest, it would be quite surprising if anything happened to Shang here. After all, a Mage Lord was literally not even a kilometer away from him.
One day, while Shang checked on his real body, someone contacted him.
"Come back to the branch," the Keeper transmitted to Shang. "The Yellow Sunbreaker needs to feed every decade, and we are already pushing it. If I don't allow it to consume a beast, it might become interested in you."
Shang nodded and stood up.
Then, he walked back to the branch.
"There is something else," the Keeper transmitted. "A very interesting mission might appear soon, and it pays very well. You are the best choice for the job, and for your sake, I would advise you to be ready for it."
Shang wasn't quite sure about this.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't mind accepting such a mission. If this mission really paid that well, it would be a huge waste not to accept it. After all, Shang could more than make up for the lost time by consuming Mind Flow Pellets.
However, there were two suspicious things.
First of all, it was suspicious that the Keeper told Shang to be ready for it. Sure, Shang had a special set of skills, but there were also several other Named Agents. Just Ice Princess alone was extremely powerful.
Even more, even if there were not a single fitting Named Agent in this branch for the mission, the mission could simply be given to a different branch. For example, one of the gatherer families Shang had annihilated had been in the territory of a different branch.
So, why specifically tell him to be ready?
Second, not even the Territory Lord could foresee what kind of missions would appear in the future. As soon as the missions were created, they would already be forwarded to the relevant branches.
So, how could the Territory Lord know that a client would soon arrive with a mission?
This was very unusual.
However, Shang was sure about one thing.
The Temple of Blood didn't want to kill or hurt him.
If they wanted to do that, there would be no reason for such an elaborate setup.
The Keeper could just tear Shang apart with her mind and make an example out of him, telling everyone that he had been planning to betray the Temple of Blood.
This meant that going on this mission shouldn't have any nefarious intentions…
At least not towards Shang.
Shang went into the branch and entered one of the training rooms.
Shang didn't feel it due to the Isolation Barrier, but a couple of hours later, the entire branch began to shake.
The Yellow Sunbreaker was battling a beast.
Of course, the Keeper wouldn't allow a beast to fight the Yellow Sunbreaker that was too powerful.
The fight was difficult, but the Yellow Sunbreaker was the clear favorite from the very beginning.
Naturally, the Yellow Sunbreaker won and pulled the corpse into the earth with its roots.
While all of this was happening, Shang kept focusing on the Concept of Addition without entering his inner world.
His progress had slowed down by quite a bit, but there was nothing he could do.
This was his job, and if necessary, he had to be available.
The pay was more than enough.
Shang remained in this position for three months.
It was quite annoying that he couldn't train under optimal conditions, but if the Keeper said that the mission paid well, it should be worth it.
And then, the Keeper finally contacted him.
"The mission is here," she transmitted to Shang.
Shang stood up and walked out of the room.
As he walked past the middle of the branch, he noticed something.
Trapper was here, and he was looking at Shang warily.
Shang walked past him, but his steps hesitated for just the slightest of moments.
There was someone else here, and that person wasn't sitting in the middle of the branch.
Ice Princess was standing before the Keeper, and her expression was not friendly.
In fact, she was filled with cold hatred and caution.
When Shang noticed Ice Princess, he knew what this mission was.
"Why do you disrespect me by assigning a partner to me?!" Ice Princess said coldly. "I am more than capable enough to deal with a Late Archmage!"
"This one isn't so simple," the Keeper said. "She is very talented. In fact, she doesn't even belong to this area, and she's only here because of political reasons."
"This is a very important mission, and I can't risk failure," the Keeper said. "Because of that, I am assigning White Ghost as your partner for this mission."
"White Ghost will scout out the surroundings and give you an opportune moment to strike. A well-timed ambush will help you immensely."
"You think I believe you?" Ice Princess asked with a chilly voice. "Giving us partners might be rare, but it happens. Yet, whenever it happens, you never assign White Ghost to anyone. You even decline every time when someone asks for him as a partner!"
"What are you planning?!" Ice Princess asked directly.
The Keeper slowly turned around, looking at Ice Princess with an emotionless stare.
"I have my reasons for this assignment."
"You have no choice in the matter."
At that moment, Ice Princess felt some heat come from behind her, and she looked back.
Shang was standing just a meter behind her.
She hadn't noticed him at all.
Shang knew exactly why he was sent to accompany Ice Princess.
He didn't say anything.
