The Great Thief

”Windcatcher, your excellency…”

”Call me Master Bath’ra,” the Troll said.

”Master Bath’ra, can I ask you a question?”

”If you want to ask me about Ravenholdt Manor, I can only apologise,” Bath’ra answered pre-emptively.

”Alright, let me ask about something else,” Lu Li said, not discouraged. ”If I establish a town in the future, can I invite you to join me? As you know, you are a visionary Engineering Master which is very appealing for adventurers.”

”You want to establish a town? It doesn’t seem like you are particularly rich. Don’t be like those goblins; their engineering has gone downhill,” Bath’ra said in disgust.

They had been in this cave for more than an hour. Fortunately, Bath’ra was around, otherwise, Lu Li wouldn’t have made it to the end.

Before reaching the Ravenholdt Manor there was a bendy river. The naturally occurring underground water in Blackfathom was quite meagre.

”You can ask me again after you’ve built the city. Prepare lots of money as even if you aren’t paying me, you should at least help me build a laboratory,” Bath’ra instructed as he brought Lu Li into the basement of the building.

They were roughly at the center of the mountain.

There was a large Teleportation Channel that looked quite old. It didn’t have the same complexity as those in the towns.

”You didn’t actually have to worry about anything. It turns out the Ravenholdt Manor isn’t even in the hills of Hillsbrad,” Lu Li said, thinking he had made some kind of extraordinary discovery.

”This is a special Teleportation Channel. It will put you to sleep and there are also pit stops along the way,” Bath’ra replied as he gave Lu Li a syringe.

Lu Li took it and administered it to himself without hesitation.

Before long, he found himself lying on some grass and staring at the sky.

”If you’re awake, let’s go,” a voice beside him spoke. Lu Li turned to see Bath’ra the Troll.

Lu Li stood up and found himself on an island. It wasn’t that big and he could see that he was near the seashore. A group of seagulls flew off the beach, causing some commotion.

No far from the pier was a mechanical ship that Bath’ra insisted they take.

Although it was called Ravenholdt Manor, Ravenholdt Island was the more appropriate name.

Because the environment was too wet for wood, all the buildings in the area were made of stone. There wasn’t a single person to be found; it was like a deserted island.

However, Lu Li didn’t believe that there wasn’t anyone on the island. Even if this exact location wasn’t Ravenholdt Manor, it was still a stronghold. There had to be some people here.

After travelling for a little longer, they arrived at a big house.

It was a European medieval-style building that included an ancient clock. Lu Li was standing in front of the building as the bells sounded at noon.

”Let’s go,” Bath’ra whispered behind him.

Lu Li went in and the doors creaked closed behind him. Bath’ra the Windcatcher was not going to follow him any farther; Lu Li could hear his footsteps as he left. Lu Li’s trial had finally come to an end.

He passed through a long corridor and entered a main hall where he could see sunlight coming through the roof.

”Young man, I am Jorach and I welcome you on behalf of Ravenholdt Manor.” There was a person sitting by the stone table where the sun hit. From Lu Li’s point of view, he was just a hazy shadow.

His voice sounded very old, giving the impression that he was in his later years.

”Thank you, I am honored to be here. Are you the leader of the Assassin League – Duke Jorach Ravenholdt?” Lu Li was shocked. He hadn’t expected to meet such a legendary character.

”Haha, I am indeed Jorach of Ravenholdt. I am also a Duke but I am not the Assassin League leader,” the old man confirmed then fell silent for a moment before laughing, ”Me and my ancestors have always been scribes for the Assassin League, primarily recording the events that happened. This organization doesn’t have a practical leader in that sense. From a long time ago…”

As the old man shared his story, the history of the ancient organization was slowly revealed to Lu Li.

No one knew how the alliance had started, not even Duke Jorach. However, the only thing that was for sure was that the Assassin League was one of Azeroth’s oldest organizations.

At the same time, the Assassin League was quite a flexible organization.

It was unlike the usual pyramid structure of most organizations. The structure more closely resembled a spider-web, a large interconnected web with a very wide network and many end points.

There was no so called ‘leader’ in the organisation.

Lu Li particularly liked that part about it.

The Duke didn’t deny it as part of some deception. He was just a particularly strong member and perhaps had a somewhat noble family background.

”So, can I join the Assassin League?” Lu Li asked.

The old man beckoned his hand in the sun and Lu Li approached him. When he finally saw the Duke of Ravenholdt, he didn’t really live up to his expectations.

He was just a very ordinary looking old man.

”Young man, if you have already made your decision, please hold out your Ravenholdt Emblem.”

Lu Li took out the Emblem and put it on the table.

Lu Li was silent. In fact, his heart was a little apprehensive. This emblem was loot that was received after killing Doan. He didn’t know if they would investigate; this was the Assassin League after all.

It was absolutely impossible for any organization to accept anyone who had killed one of their own.

This was just common knowledge; no one needed to specifically write that one down.

However, in reality, Lu Li’s worries were unnecessary. This item that had come from the Instance Dungeon was a perfect copy. Everything within it was just fantasy and was very unlikely to affect the world at large.

Doan was from an Instance Dungeon which meant that he constantly respawned. As such, killing him wouldn’t cause any enmity between the players and Ravenholdt Manor.

Besides, the game had been designed so that Doan and a few other characters were the entry point for players to start the quest to join the Assassin League. Otherwise, where else would the players find the emblem?

”Welcome to the Assassin League. I have accepted you on behalf of the alliance; you are now a one-star Assassin of the Assassin League,” the old man declared before stretching out his finger and asking, ”Where do you want the mark?”

Lu Li was stunned for a moment before hastily taking off his gloves.

The Duke of Ravenholdt pointed at the back of his hand and a little emblem appeared.

System: You have joined the Assassin League. Because you are the first player to join the Assassin League, you are rewarded with 50,000 EXP, 500 Assassin League Prestige, 2 Skill Points and 30 attribute points…

Jackpot!

Lu Li breathed a sigh of relief. He just couldn’t help but smile.

Under normal circumstances, the reward would be 30,000 EXP, 300 Prestige, 1 skill point and 2 attribute points.

The bonus for being the first person to join was very generous indeed.