Chapter 31: Mercenary Association

  After arriving at Deep Stone City, Mais also bid farewell. Perhaps because he had reached his destination, he couldn't help but put away the smile on his face during the journey and put on a bitter and resentful expression. After all, he had lost so many goods, and now that he thought about going to see his creditors, Mais's mood was not getting any better.

  However, Rod warned him before leaving that he should not reveal the truth about the cargo ship's accident. After all, they had been tracked by spies before, and if the other party was still looking for them, it would not be a good choice to reveal this matter. Although Rod had already understood the general situation of this matter, he did not tell his judgment to Mes. Firstly, there was no need, secondly, even if he told Mes, it would not change anything. And Mes naturally agreed, after doing business for so many years, he certainly knew the pros and cons of things, even if Rod didn't remind him, he wouldn't talk nonsense about this matter everywhere.

  After parting with Mais, Rod followed Liche to the Mercenary Association in Deep Stone City.

  As a transcontinental organization, the Mercenary Association has branches in every prosperous city, responsible for issuing tasks to mercenaries, recording completion situations, and even recruiting and hiring mercenaries. The promotion and demotion of mercenary groups and guilds are also decided by them.

  The Mercenaries' Guild of Deepstone Castle is located on the first floor of the mine, and the sword and shield emblem representing the guild can be seen from afar, carved into the wall. The roughly crafted marble door frame and the flag outside are particularly eye-catching, and even the thick wooden door with intricate carvings cannot block out the noisy sounds inside.

  When Rod and Litchi walked into the Mercenary Association, the first thing they saw was a spacious arched hall. Sunlight poured down from the hollow in the middle, shining on the white stone floor. On the wooden round table beside it, mercenaries were sitting, either whispering to each other or talking with their heads together. Some people hid in the corners, silent and speechless.

  The appearance of the two did not attract much attention from most people, who simply raised their heads to take a glance before quickly looking away. However, not everyone was like that. Soon, at a nearby table, a woman wearing leather armor and carrying a longbow raised her hand.

  "Hey Lijie, long time no see!"

  "Sister Shana."

  When she heard the woman's greeting, Lijie raised her head and looked over, then revealed a hint of a smile, quickly walking to the woman's side.

  "Long time no see, how are you?"

  "It's okay, we captured some werewolves earlier and got quite a few spoils of war. Now everyone is discussing how to divide them."

  Saying that, Shana revealed a generous smile. And under her invitation, the others sitting at the table also smiled and nodded to Lijie. It seems that the people here are very familiar with Lijie.

  "My heartiest congratulations to you all..."

  Looking at the scene in front of her, Lijie's heart skipped a beat, and the smile on her face stiffened. She was no stranger to this scenario. Every time Captain Carter led everyone to complete their mission, they would sit together like this, laughing and joking. This used to be an ordinary life for Lijie, but now, those people who had been with her were gone forever.

  "What's wrong? Lijie? You seem unhappy?"

  Although Shana appears to be a carefree person on the surface, it's clear that she also has a delicate side as a woman. She quickly noticed that Lisha's emotions were somewhat unusual. She furrowed her brow, looking at Lisha with suspicion, and then gazed at Rude who was standing behind her with an examining gaze.

  "What's going on? Who is that guy behind you? Where is Colonel Carter? I didn't see him?"

  "Squad leader he..."

  At the mention of Carter, Lijie's face turned pale. She opened her mouth, but then quickly closed it again. After several seconds, Lijie seemed to have made up her mind and spoke up.

  "Our previous mission failed and everyone except me... died."

  When they heard this, the originally lively and laughing round table suddenly fell silent, even Shana's smile on her face was retracted.

  "Failed?"

  "Yes, we've encountered some unexpected things..."

  Lijie shook her head, apparently not wanting to say more, so she quickly brought over the topic and introduced Rod to everyone.

  "This is Mr. Rod Eilandt, he saved my life in a time of crisis, otherwise I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to come back alive."

  "Is that so......"

  After hearing Lijie's explanation, Shana curiously and carefully examined Rod, who was wrapped in a cloak from head to toe, and then stretched out her hand.

  "Hello, I am Shana, the leader of the Red Eagle Mercenary Group. Thank you for saving my friend."

  "Don't be polite, I'm just passing by."

  Rod stretched out his hand and grasped Shana's, then replied in a calm tone. This made Shana even more curious, she stared intently at Rod's half-face, as if wanting to see what he looked like, but since Rod didn't intend to take off his hood, Shana couldn't force him, so she quickly shifted her attention back to Lisha.

  "So, you're here this time..."

  "Yes, I've come to report to the association about the failure of our mission... and also about what happened to Captain..."

  "I understand."

  Shana's expression turned much more serious, she let out a sigh and then patted Lisha on the head.

  "Don't be too heartbroken, we who do this line of work will eventually have such a day. You're still alive and that's the greatest comfort for them. Remember, if you encounter any difficulties, feel free to come find us. Our Red Eagle Mercenary Group may be just a small organization, but as long as it's something we can help with, we absolutely won't decline."

  "Thank you."

  When Lisha heard Shana's words, she finally revealed a hint of smile again. At this moment, a young swordsman sitting next to Shana suddenly jumped up.

  "Come on, Lijie, don't be too sad. By the way, why don't you join our mercenary group? We're short of one..."

  "Run!"

  Shana let out a cold laugh, interrupting the young swordsman's words.

  "What are you talking about? Is this the time for such talk? Shut up and sit down!"

  "But elder sister..."

  "Shut up!"

  Under Shana's stern gaze, the young swordsman sat down with a hint of reluctance, while Shana turned her head back to look at Rieje.

  "Lijie, don't mind what Bani says, you know your own road best."

  "It's okay, Shana sister."

  Lijie didn't take the young swordsman's words to heart at all.

  "I've made up my mind, I will absolutely not let the mercenary corps disband."

  "Lily?"

  When Shana heard the girl's answer, she was taken aback for a moment. She wanted to say something more, but at this time Rude and Lisha had already turned around and left, walking towards the depths of the hall. This made Shana's face somewhat awkward, her expression complex as she gazed at the two figures, only sitting down after a while, sighing, and then fiercely glaring at the young swordsman beside her.

  "Shut up! If you can't control your mouth in the future, I'll tear it apart!"

  In the center of the guild hall, a large stone monument was surrounded by people, and the noisy voices also came from here. This is where the Mercenary Association publishes tasks. Many mercenaries were loudly shouting to get a task or competing for a task, waving their arms. Some mercenaries who had already received tasks were discussing rewards and conditions with their employers not far away.

  Under Lizzie's lead, Rod came to a counter in a corner of the room. There was no one else there except for a man in his fifties who was dozing off with his head on the table, looking as if he was surrounded not by the high-decibel noise but by lullabies.

  "Uncle Hank?"

  Lijie walked in front of the man, calling out softly, but her voice was apparently no match for the noise beside her. So Lijie had to raise her voice again and call out once more, while also knocking on the table with her hand.

  It wasn't until then that the man came to his senses, rubbing his blurry eyes and lifting his head to carefully examine the visitor in front of him.

  "Who's there? I was sleeping so comfortably... What a pity, I just found a good woman in my dream..."

  The man suddenly shut his mouth and showed an awkward smile when he saw Lijie standing in front of him, just as their conversation had reached the halfway point.

  "Ah, I thought it was someone else, but isn't this Lijie? How come you have time to look for me today? Is there something going on?"

  "Yes, I have something to discuss with the president, it's about the mercenary group..."

  "Mercenary group?"

  Hank was taken aback by Lizzie's response.

  "What's happened to the mercenaries? Where's that kid Carter?"

  Lijie didn't answer Hank's question, she just fell silent for a moment, then pulled out a silver badge from her bosom. After seeing the badge, the drowsiness on Hank's face immediately disappeared, replaced by seriousness and tension.

  "I immediately went to report to the president."

  As soon as he finished speaking, Hank immediately stumbled backward and ran away.