BXBX NOVEL Chapter 242: Assigned Rooms, Drafting A Plan
Jenny followed behind closely, but the rest of the group kept their distance during the tour. Other than Jenny, none of the rest could see Cynthia's Cultivation since the difference in Cultivation was too vast, but their natural instincts told them that one wrong move and the kind-looking lady would tear them apart.
"Rooms have been prepared for everyone if you so wish, but you do not have to stay here. If you don't need your room, let someone know so we can give it to another Follower." Cynthia said as they walked through a long hallway with hundreds of doors on either side.
Cynthia opened a set of ten doors, revealing identical interiors that each had a large bed, a pair of nightstands with lamps on either side, and a single white door in the corner that led to a bathroom.
The space inside was expanded, and a set of Arrays on the outside of the door would prevent intruders from coming in while also defending against physical and magical attacks up to the Nascent Soul Realm.
Cynthia pointed to a closed door with a sign reading "Cynth" at the end of the row, "That's my room, but don't bother me unless it is very important. I take my Cultivation very seriously, so if you need something press this button ONE TIME and state your name. I will come to you when I am available."
She pushed on a part of the door just above the doorknob. The wood sank in, and a light "Ding!" was heard. It was quiet, but for a Nascent Soul Cultivator it would be easy to sense. Cynthia had installed the button recently, already anticipating an annoying subordinate to constantly give her issues.
Each person chose their own room, imprinting one of the Arrays with a drop of their blood to register it as theirs. Jenny saw her name appear on a sign similar to Cynthia's room, reading her full name instead of just a shortened version. She looked over at the other rooms to see a similar scenario, each name cutting off after five letters.
Someone complained from beside Cynthia after imprinting the Arrays and seeing their name appear on the door, "Hey Cynthia, why is my name cut off? These Arrays need to be fixed!"
Cynthia didn't bother turning to face the man that just spoke, "I am your Redeemer, not your friend. Call me boss or team lead." she glared at the man who dared call her by her name, causing him to shrink back in fear.
She turned to look at the man's door, then covered her mouth and coughed to hide a wide grin. "Master Black has a problem with long names. He prefers to keep everything short and simple. What's your name?"
"Loserrez, Boss." the man replied, causing the others to snicker at his expense.
What an unfortunate name. Jenny thought while trying to suppress a smile of her own. She listened with the rest as Cynthia explained the general rules of the organization, then entered her room to rest after a long battle.
***
Inside the Thieves' Guild hideout, William used a bit of Darkness Mana to wrap a dark tendril around the handle of the door. He cracked it open slightly like before, then pulled Carl along in the shadow as they slipped back outside.
"What should we do?" Carl asked once they were a safe distance away. William had covered the entire area with a layer of Sound Mana so that they could speak freely and plan out their next move.
"You saw the board too, didn't you?" William replied with a smile.
"Yeah, some of their bounties are over a hundred thousand Gold Coins, but can we handle them with just the two of us?" Carl asked with a hint of worry, though the money was tempting. He had faith in William, but he wasn't sure whether he could keep up during a battle against other Cultivators.
"We should be fine. I can handle the tougher guys, I just need you to distract the weak ones so I don't get overwhelmed."
William had fought with dozens of Nascent Soul Beasts at the same time before, when he was much weaker than he is now. Dealing with a few dozen Golden Core enemies and just a single Nascent Soul was nothing.
The only reason he wanted Carl to participate in the battle was so that he could gain some practical experience. While William didn't mind helping his friends, he couldn't be around forever. In a Cultivation World, one needed to know how to take care of themselves.
Thinking of this, William asked something else, "Have you ever killed a person before, Carl?"
Carl looked at William with fear and confusion in his eyes, "We're not going to kill someone, are we? I've only fought against people to climb the Ranking Board..."
"No, no," William shook his head. "We want to capture them alive. I was just wondering."
"Okay..." Carl felt a bit relieved, but the mention of killing brought upon other worries. What if he had no choice but to kill someone? Could he do it?
He listened as William drafted out a plan to coordinate their efforts. Their strength wasn't the problem, rather it was the ability to capture every member of the Thieves' Guild. These were Cultivators, so simple robe bindings wouldn't do, and William was only one person.
While his Confinement Arrays could suppress someone for a lengthened period of time, he would need Perfect Arrays at least to hold a Golden Core Cultivator, which would only last a few seconds depending on how far into the Realm they were.
Extending the range of the Array like he did to a group of bandits outside Blue Moon City wouldn't work either, since its strength would be even further diminished. Once the strongest Cultivator broke free, the rest of the Array would shatter in an instant.
This isn't a good time to use Necromancy, so I'll have to go in with the Ice, Darkness, and Time Elements. William thought as he used the Fire Element to draw out a plan on the stone floor.
After a few minutes, Carl and William had come up with a plan that seemed feasible. William restored the floor to its previous condition, then entered the room a second time under the cover of darkness.
Being the third time the door had opened in fifteen minutes, some of the thieves became suspicious and paid increased attention to the door this time. A portal appeared in the center of the room and a Core Formation Cultivator stepped out, an Artifact in hand that started to measure the Arrays on the door.
Shit, I forgot about portals!