Chapter 35: Mercenary Group Construction System Activated

  For mercenaries, this is a memorable evaluation.

  Although the gap in strength between the two sides was too great, and Rod's methods were not quite fair, mercenaries are not knights after all. For them, as long as they can win, nothing else matters. And for those who can come up with a winning strategy, they are even more revered. In no time at all, Rod and Serek immediately became the hot topic of discussion among the mercenaries. Serek had been famous for many years, but few people had seen him take action, so many mercenaries secretly thought that this sword master was not quite living up to his reputation. But after this battle, they didn't think that way anymore. Although the fight between the two sides was quick and brief, if anyone else had gone up there, they would probably have been defeated long ago.

  The mercenaries were most curious about how Rode, as a swordsman, was able to summon those two strange elemental spirits. If this was a mage's summoning spell, then shouldn't he at least be reciting an incantation? This was just too unscientific. Many people began to speculate about how he did it, with some saying it was a unique summoning technique and others claiming it was the effect of some magical tool. Looking at this young man who could still pull out a powerful magic weapon, one could tell that his identity was definitely not ordinary. At this level, having several pieces of magical equipment wasn't strange at all.

  But what excited them even more was that such a powerful young man would actually participate in the mercenary assessment, which meant that from today on, he would become a mercenary. For a time, many mercenary groups rubbed their fists and palms, wanting to pull this powerful young man in, although Rod didn't gain victory in his fight against Serrek. However, since he was able to force the usually calm swordsmaster to use his true skills, it was enough to show off Rod's strength, and adding his age to that, it would be hard for anyone to doubt his future prospects.

  Just as the mercenaries were discussing and excitedly watching a good show, Rode had already returned to the mercenary association president's study with Lije, except that this time, besides the old president, there was also a smiling swordmaster standing beside him.

  "Since you've passed the mercenary evaluation, from now on, you are a mercenary. Congratulations to you."

  Although he was saying words of congratulations, the old guild leader's face remained stern, apparently still unable to save face after his previous collision with Roderick.

  "As for the rules and regulations of mercenaries, I think I don't need to tell you in detail, you should understand."

  Listening to the old chairman's veiled sarcasm, Luo De didn't say much. He was very clear about the old man's temperament, anyway he had already achieved his goal, and what the old man said had nothing to do with him, so letting the old man vent his anger was no big deal.

  And just as Rod had expected, after venting a few mouthfuls of anger, the old guildmaster's tone quickly calmed down. He stretched out his hand and pulled out a scroll from the drawer, unfolding it and placing it on the table. However, before that, the old guildmaster still took a glance at the girl sitting beside Rod. Unlike her previous nervousness, Lidge was now much more calm, but there was a hint of obvious complaint and regret on her face, which wasn't because of Rod's fight with Sereck, but because her carefully chosen battle cloak had been ruined after only being worn once, leaving Lidge feeling quite heartbroken.

  It has to be said that women's thoughts are indeed difficult to guess.

  "Lilith, although I do acknowledge that this young man's abilities are quite strong, I still have to say that this is a reckless adventure. The strength of an individual and the overall power of a mercenary group are vastly different. Look at Seric and Marth - those guys may be famous in their own right, but they're still just members of a mercenary group. That's because the power of a team far surpasses that of any one person. I think this young man's abilities should be more than enough, but a mercenary group can't be propped up by just one or two people. To be honest, even though there's still plenty of time before the winter break, I don't think you'll have enough time to escape the crisis of disbandment."

  "I understand, I will grow up."

  Lilith nodded slightly, as a member of the mercenary group, she understood better than anyone how severe the situation was going to be. In fact, even Lilith herself didn't have any good ideas. The reason was that the current number of people in the mercenary group was too small, with only Rod and Lilith, two people. If they wanted to continue surviving, they would inevitably have to recruit more people. However, when new members outnumbered old ones, the command position might be shaken. Moreover, mercenaries were all very pragmatic, those with strength didn't want to be subordinate to others, while those without strength also wanted to take advantage of the situation, making it extremely difficult to develop peacefully under such circumstances. Not to mention that Lilith, although a "veteran" member of this mercenary group, was too young and non-combat personnel, making it impossible for her to suppress anyone. Rod's strength had been seen by many mercenaries today, but he was new, which would only give later generations more motivation rather than stability.

  For her own mercenary group, Lijie naturally had her own ideals. Many mercenary groups started out well, but later on, for the sake of money, they would kill people, set fires, and deceive others. Some mercenary groups even stopped taking on missions and directly became the henchmen of lords and nobles, responsible for collecting various taxes from their subjects. This could no longer be considered a mercenary group, but rather a gang of thugs.

  Lijie certainly didn't want her mercenary group to become like that either, but now she was in a weak position and what she said didn't count. Rod's support for her wasn't useful either; if everyone else opposed it, then this would just be an empty idea.

  For various reasons, almost no one expected Lichte's mercenary corps to be rebuilt.

  "But it's no use saying these things now."

  Unable to persuade Lijie, the old president did not say anything else. He picked up his goose feather pen and looked at Rode again.

  "Alright, kiddo, your wish has come true. According to the Mercenary Association's rules, when a mercenary group changes its leader, the new leader is qualified to change the name of the group. Do you have any new ideas now?"

  "Stardust."

  To this, Luo De did not hesitate at all and quickly made a response. After hearing this response, the old president nodded, then bent down to write the name on paper, picked up the seal ring by his hand, pressed it deeply, and then pushed the paper over.

  "All you need to do next is press your handprint or sign your name on this paper."

  "Of course, no problem."

  Staring at the familiar yet somewhat strange paper in front of him, Rode took a deep breath. In the game, applying to form a party was in the form of a table, which was still relatively easy for players. But now, this slightly old-fashioned paper had a more historical feel to it. He glanced at the girl beside him, and Lijie also met Rode's gaze with a slight nod. Then, Rode took another deep breath and signed his name on the paper.

  "Ding!"

  Just then, a voice suddenly echoed in Roderick's mind, and soon, a system upgrade appeared before his eyes.

  [Obtained Squad Leader position, Mercenary Squad Construction System activated]

  Rod glanced over it and soon threw the message to the back of his mind. He was also open-minded now, no matter how unscientific and unreasonable these strange things were, anyway, they had already appeared on himself, and it was meaningless to consider where they came from and where they went. Since he already had them, he might as well do it like a game. So his expression didn't change much, and after signing the paper, he pushed it back again.

  The old man's face showed a hint of a smile as he rolled up the scroll, but it quickly disappeared.

  "Well, I'd like to see just how far you can go, little ones."

  "I believe I won't let you down."

  Rod nodded slightly in response.

  "I hope so."

  The old chairman didn't say anything more, but in the end, he still showed some hesitation.

  "However... there's something I need to remind you, recently some spies from the Country of Light have arrived in the city. Although it's not clear what they're trying to do, I suggest that you try your best to avoid conflicts with these people, after all, this isn't a good thing."

  "I understand."

  At the reminder of Old Chairman, Luo De's eyebrows rose slightly.

  It's coming, and it has come.

  Until he saw the silhouettes of the two people disappear, Lao Hui Zhang couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh and sat down, then looked at his comrades beside him.

  "Old fellow, what's your take on this young whippersnapper? I'm beginning to suspect he's been sent by the higher-ups."

  "Are you talking about Huangjincheng?"

  When he heard the old chairman's inquiry, Serak also showed a helpless smile.

  "I don't think so, if our Little Li is telling the truth, then she and this little guy are indeed an accidental encounter."

  "But it's no coincidence that this kid brought up wanting a mercenary group."

  "I'm also very clear about this point."

  This time, regarding the old chairman's judgment, Serrek did not deny it.

  "A magical weapon, and quite a decent one at that...long too...hmm, beautiful? Frankly speaking, it's indeed very much to our miss's taste, I can understand your thoughts, old friend. But if such a person really existed, Golden City would have had news of it long ago. After all, you and I both know that miss's personality, if this young man were truly her subordinate, she absolutely wouldn't be able to keep him hidden until now. And...such an eerie fighting style, never seen before."

  "Isn't it summoning?"

  Upon hearing Serak's sigh, the old guildmaster's expression immediately turned serious.

  "Of course not, old friend. You've also dealt with the Law Masters for quite some time now, and you've seen their summoning techniques before, haven't you?"

  "Of course, but Master Fa is so mysterious and unpredictable, I've always found it hard to understand..."

  "So you're a mercenary, old friend, read more books for a few years."

  "Alright, let's drop this topic."

  Hearing Serek's sarcasm, the old chairman's face turned red.

  "This kid is yours now, Serrek. Keep an eye on him. Those scoundrels from the Kingdom of Light sneaked into Deepstone Castle a few days ago, and I suspected they were up to something. Now this little guy shows up out of nowhere, and I'm starting to wonder if he's here for the same reason... We don't want any trouble in Deepstone Castle. At least, the Mercenaries' Guild doesn't."

  "Don't worry."

  Sereke's face was serious and he nodded slightly.

  "I won't let those guys run wild here."