CHAPTER 143: PIRATE SHIP

Miss Brown handed Lucius a stack of papers, the edges of the stack were perfectly aligned and crisp.

She adjusted her glasses, clearing her throat before speaking.

"These are all the raid missions that we have currently, ranging from E-rank to D-rank," she said, setting the stack neatly before him. "You’ve completed twenty D-rank raids so far, Sir Lucius. You’re only a few missions away from qualifying for C-rank advancement."

Lucius raised an eyebrow, flipping through the pages lazily.

Each mission slip was stamped with GRIMMAW’s official seal... mostly routine cleanup operations, escort duties, and low-level dungeon raids.

It was the usual kind of work that didn’t excite him anymore.

"I see," he muttered with a flat tone. "Are there any special raids among these? I’m getting tired of the same thing every week."

Miss Brown chuckled softly, tapping her pen against the counter.

"Everyone feels like that sometimes. Hmm..." She stood up, flipping through the stack carefully. "I think there might be something that suits your tastes."

Lucius tilted his head with curiosity in his eyes.

She scanned through the pile, then stopped near the center.

"Ah," she murmured with a smile, "here it is."

She pulled out a single slip from the middle of the stack and held it up in front of him with a little flourish.

Lucius leaned forward as the paper unfurled, his eyes scanning the bold header.

[OFFICIAL GUILD MISSION SLIP]

Guild: GRIMMAW, Northcrest City Branch

Mission ID: NC-OR-1583-D

Classification: Ocean Rift Exploration & Elimination

Mission Rank: D

Team Size: 4 Members

[Mission Objective:]

Investigate and neutralize threats in the newly discovered Ocean Gate off the coast of Tideshear Cove.

Preliminary scouting reports indicate strong aquatic mana disturbances and the appearance of mutated sea beasts near the rift zone.

Scouts also report that the dungeon’s core boss is believed to reside deep beneath the seabed.

[Mission Details]

[Secure the surface perimeter around Tideshear Cove.]

[Eliminate low-tier aquatic monsters near the rift entrance.]

[Deploy underwater breathing and pressure-stabilizing gear before descent.]

[Investigate the rift origin and locate the boss entity deep within the water trench.]

[Recover any Mana, mana residue, or mutated core samples for Guild Research.]

[Report immediately if the rift expands or if high-tier entities are detected.]

[Reward upon Completion:]

60,000 Royals per Squad Member

(Bonus pay available for retrieval of an intact boss core.)

Issued By:

Northcrest City Council

in cooperation with GRIMMAW Guildmaster

...

Lucius smiled at the coincidence.

"Ah, a sea mission? Interesting." He let the other mission slips drop to the table with a light thud.

"The watchers are going to love this," he muttered.

Then he frowned a bit. "But if something like this is available, why hasn’t anyone else taken it yet?"

Miss Brown’s smile turned sheepish.

"Well... nobody wants to be in the sea, Sir Lucius. Water-based dungeons are considered a nightmare. Low visibility, unpredictable mana flow, aquatic monsters that can tear through armor... it’s not exactly a vacation spot."

Lucius chuckled quietly. "That’s fine. I’ll take it."

"Very well," she said, gathering the remaining slips and slotting them into the shelf behind her booth. "You’ll need to wait a day before it’s officially stamped for clearance. It still requires the Guildmaster’s approval before it’s fully released."

Lucius tilted his head slightly, giving her a blank look. "Why the wait?"

Miss Brown adjusted her glasses again, clearly flustered. "I-I mean... the Guildmaster was holding onto that mission intentionally. I’ll need to ask for her permission first."

"I can go myself," Lucius said calmly.

Before she could object, he turned away and walked toward the elevator. The sound of his footsteps echoed across the marble floor.

Miss Brown sighed, watching him go.

"He really doesn’t like waiting," she whispered under her breath.

...

Inside the elevator, Lucius leaned against the metallic wall, crossing his arms as the doors slid shut.

His reflection stared back at him faintly in the polished surface.

’I hope she was saving it for me,’ he thought with a sigh.

The elevator dinged softly as it stopped at the top floor.

...

Vanessa sat at her desk, her chin resting on one hand.

A stack of untouched papers loomed in front of her... mission reports, supply requisitions, approval forms. She was supposed to be working, but her focus was elsewhere.

Her free hand brushed over the silver ring on her finger, the one Lucius had slipped on her hand during the meeting.

’He really put it on my ring finger,’ she thought, cheeks flushing pink.

She could still remember what he had whispered to her... ’I’ll get the rest of my reward in your room later.’

Her face grew even redder.

She placed a hand over her chest, trying to calm the racing heartbeat.

’Does he really plan to do that... again?’ She couldn’t say she didn’t want it... She in fact did want it.

Vanessa exhaled softly and shook her head.

"Focus," she muttered to herself, reaching for her pen. "Work first, thoughts later."

She forced her attention back to the paperwork, her pen gliding smoothly over the page as she signed off on raid documentation.

But even as she wrote, her mind betrayed her and she was still thinking about it.

Suddenly, the door creaked open.

"Hey, love."

Her head snapped up, eyes widening for a moment before softening when she saw who it was.

Lucius was walking to her table.

"Woah," Vanessa said quickly, sitting upright. "I thought you were one of the other members."

She let out a slow sigh of relief.

Before she could say anything else, Lucius walked up and dropped a paper on her face.

"Sign this."

Vanessa blinked, pulling the paper off.

When she saw the mission title, she smiled. "Oh, this mission? I was keeping it for you."

Lucius reached forward and patted her head gently, a grin forming on his handsome face.

"Of course you were," he said, amused.

Vanessa smiled despite herself and picked up her pen. "Do you need a submarine? I can get one arranged and transported within the week."

Lucius shook his head immediately. "No need. A pirate ship will be fine."

She blinked at him, confused. "Pirate ship? What are you planning to do, wear pirate clothes and wave a sword?"

"Yes," Lucius said with a perfectly straight face. "A pirate ship. If you can get it by next week, that’d be fine."

Vanessa stared at him for a moment, unsure whether he was serious.

She gave up trying to reason with him and nodded. "Alright. I’ll make it happen."

Lucius leaned in closer, his voice dropping low. "Now... I’ll be taking my reward."

"Huh?"

Before she could even process what he meant, Lucius’s hand was already cupping her chin, tilting her head slightly upward.

His lips then pressed against hers stealing her breath entirely.

Her pen clattered to the desk as she froze, eyes widening briefly before melting into the kiss.