The territory was so extensive that Rino wasn't able to cover everything in a day. Not to mention, he decided to travel in a unique fashion. He had some spare large pieces of fabric that were large enough, so Rino wrapped himself up like a mummy. It was difficult to move without air magic proficiency. Thankfully, he was innovative enough and found a way to repurpose his shadow tendrils.

Even so, he could not cover all of this new territory. It ranged from the edge of this forest and the fields all the way to those mountains he could barely see in the distance. There was no way Rino could cover everything. Flight magic was so useful, and he missed it dearly. Without it, he was like a magician without a wand.

"I actually don't have a wand," Rino realised on his way back. The sun was setting, and still, he did not receive the new daily quest.

Were the Gods even going to give him the next daily quest? Or did they have trouble updating the daily quest system? Did having a chain quest confuse them? Rino tried to think positively but failed. He was very convinced that the annoying God was doing this on purpose so that he didn't have enough time to complete the other daily quest that they issued.

Rino rolled his empty eye sockets. If this was how the authorities wanted to abuse their power, he would give them a reason to really hate him. It wasn't as if he never did this before in his previous life. As a court magician, he had plenty of opportunities to demonstrate his stubbornness. As a result, he was locked in his estate under house arrest for two years. All his servants were fired, the guards only gave him leftover food, and Rino had to do everything by himself even when he was an earl, all because he didn't support an idea that the king had.

Honestly, he didn't mind. For those two years, it was very peaceful for Rino. With his magic, he started his own vegetable farm in the garden. He led a very comfortable life using his magic. The books he collected but never had time to read were read in those two years, even if he didn't finish all of them because the king begged him to return when the plague struck and threatened to wipe the empire's population. That said, Rino knew how to tough it out enough until the other party surrendered. The Gods were messing with the wrong person.

When the four Gods gathered at the reflecting pond heard this, three pairs of eyes instantly landed on Stephanie. The Goddess of life cycles felt pressured and quickly shifted the blame to her brother.

"It was him who forgot to clear the daily quest!"

Ark couldn't deny that. After arguing with his sister for hours, he completely forgot to update the system. The project manager glared at Stephanie then turned to Phil.

"Keep an eye on her. I will take it from here."

He quickly left for the office, and Stephanie huffed. Why was everything her fault now? These guys were too lenient. Sooner or later, they would come to appreciate her. If they gave these mortals an inch, they would want a foot. If these mortals had a foot, they would ask for a mile. Mortals cannot be trusted.

Ace hid a smile. Everything was proceeding according to plan. Now that Ark was taking over, negotiations would begin. He was only curious about the terms Rino was going to set. For this purpose, he unfroze the divinity funds for Ark to use freely.

In the office, Ark sighed. He hated doing these kinds of things. Ace was usually better at it than him, but he didn't want to escalate the tension between them by asking Ace to handle negotiations because of his sister's rivalry.

Nervously, Ace updated the daily quest system and waited for his chance to send Rino a message.

Ping!

===

Daily Quest #2 (Complete) [Chain Quest]

Objective: Build 10 bricks.

Tutorial here.

Reward: Textile Crafting Skills. Side Quest available upon skill unlock.

Claim your reward here.

Penalty: NA

===

Rino just reached his humble mud hut when he heard the system notifications. There were two more hours to midnight, and Rino wondered what the consequences would be if he did not complete the new daily quest assigned to him. Still, he eagerly claimed the reward as he filled the newly made bathtub with water.

As Rino soaked in the tub, he hummed a happy tune, uncaring if the Gods were peeking at his private time. The texting crafting skill was very handy, and Rino considered doing the side quest just so that he could quickly make a bone needle for sewing the underwear and cape. He didn't want to go out dressed as a mummy again. It was inconvenient and extremely uncomfortable.

[This is an automated message regarding a system update. Penalties will be introduced for Daily Quests for non-completion within the stipulated deadline starting from Daily Quest #4.]

===

Daily Quest #3

Objective: Fire 10 bricks.

Time Limit: 24 Hours

Tutorial here.

Reward: Farm House Schematic.

Penalty: NA

===

At the voice message, Rino raised a brow and snorted silently. Oh, so this was how the Gods wanted to play? No apology, just a system implementation and waiver of punishment as an act of generosity? Sorry, but he wasn't that easy to please. Even the king had to personally come over and grovel with a publically announced apology before Rino agreed to return as a court magician. A man who knew his worth would demand his civil work rights.

When Ark heard this, he knew that he wasn't Rino's opponent. With a heavy look in his eyes, he returned to the reflecting pond. He swept across the people around the reflecting pond, and his eyes landed on Ace, their best bet to salvage the situation.

Stephanie made a face but swallowed the bitterness in her heart. The whole situation started because of the punishment system that they told her to create. After implementing it, it was now her fault the lich was unmotivated? How unfair was this?

Ace remained neutral. He looked at Ark and back to Stephanie.

"I'll go down as an incarnate to meet this lich and resolve his motivation issues. In the meantime, put all his quests and punishments on hold. Any objections?"

Ark almost cried with relief and apologised on behalf of the trouble his sister caused. When Stephanie heard that, she had to swallow her anger. Ace was probably the only one on their team who could turn the situation around. If anything, Ace's stubbornness and selfishness would not lose to Rino's. Now that she thought about it, they were really two peas in a pod.