Chapter Forty-Four: Old Walker's Heart

  "That's me."

  Old Walker turned around and saw a handsome young man who didn't look like a man sitting in front of him, he had never seen this person before, but the blonde girl next to him was somewhat familiar...

  "Who are you?"

  "I am Rude Ailante, commander of the Starlight Mercenary Corps."

  "Stardust?"

  Old Walker furrowed his brow, thought for a moment, and then seemed to remember something, nodding his head in sudden realization.

  "Oh...... You're the one who inherited the Moon Bow......"

  At this point, Old Walker raised his glass and nodded slightly towards the blonde girl beside him.

  "I remembered, you're that spiritual girl, oh, I hope you won't be too sad, mercenaries are all like this, busy and bustling, coming and going with the wind and rain, no one knows when anyone will lose their life..."

  "Mr. Walker, we've come here this time to find you because there's something that needs your help."

  "Oh?"

  Although Rod was somewhat dissatisfied with interrupting his own words, Old Walker still forced himself to open his eyes and turn towards the young man.

  "What's wrong?"

  "I hope you can join my mercenary group."

  Rhode spoke out without any hesitation, very directly. However, Old Wugou was taken aback for a moment before suddenly bursting into loud laughter.

  "Hahahaha... Pfft, hahahahaha."

  He seemed to have heard a joke, pounding the table non-stop, and even spilled wine from his cup. Lijie stared at the old man's sudden movement in surprise and astonishment, while Rode showed extreme calmness, and even had time to beckon the bartender to order two cups of fruit wine.

  Until the bartender took his last breath and left, the old man finally calmed down a bit. He panted heavily like a bellows for several mouthfuls before leaning back against the chair.

  "Did I hear you right, kid? You want me to join your mercenary group?"

  "Is there something wrong?"

  Rod's eyebrows rose slightly.

  "Of course."

  It wasn't until then that the old man's face sank and he straightened up, staring provocatively at the young man in front of him.

  "Do you think I'm some kind of old fool? I'd like to ask you a question, how many people are in your mercenary group now?"

  "Two."

  Rod's response was extremely quick, without a moment of hesitation.

  "That's not right?"

  The old man spread his hands out to the sides.

  "Two people? Mercenary group? What are you going to take on a mission with? Complete a mission? It's not long until the end of spring, and your Starlight points are still zero. Not to mention that you failed once before. No one will come knocking on your door to offer a commission, and as for the missions posted by the Mercenary Association... Honestly, kid, you guys just don't have the ability."

  Saying this, the old man waved his hands.

  "Don't think that just because I'm old, I'm really confused and don't know anything. Kid, I've been here for decades, and every day something happens here, I'm crystal clear about it. So sorry, but I won't be boarding this broken ship of yours."

  Old Walker's words were blunt, making the girl beside him restless. She looked anxious to say something, but couldn't get anything out. On the other hand, Rode still had a calm expression, and even had time to pick up his wine glass, savoring the light, sweet fruit wine before speaking up.

  "Mr. Walker, what are you afraid of?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "I just want to know what you're so afraid of."

  Rod's tone was as flat as ever, but his voice betrayed a hint of blatant mockery.

  "Indeed, I admit that our situation is very bad and it's possible that we will be forcibly dissolved by the end of the year recess, but..."

  Luo De stretched out one finger.

  "Even if we're disbanded, it's a year from now, isn't it? Even if we fail, what can be done about it? Either we die or we're disbanded and can only live like ordinary mercenaries. What does that have to do with you? Look at your current state, even if we are disbanded, you'll just return here and continue living as you are now, won't you? Or are you afraid of death?"

  "Don't think you can provoke me with these little tricks, kid."

  The old man's face grew increasingly somber.

  "After all these years, I've seen all sorts of people. I'm not afraid of death, but I don't like being deceived. You have no future, and I certainly won't choose a path with no future."

  "The excuse is quite good."

  Rod clapped his hands, as if in praise, but his expression didn't change at all.

  "At first, when you abandoned the light, wasn't this also an excuse for yourself?"

  Bang!!!

  When Rod said this, the old man's face changed, and he heavily smashed his wine glass on the table, startling Lijie.

  "It was they who abandoned me! You little rascal, you don't know anything at all, stop spouting nonsense here! Get out of my sight!"

  "Everyone can play the trick of treating themselves as victims."

  But facing the old man who was furious in front of him, Luo De didn't waver at all.

  "But what right do you have to complain? Feel wronged? They gave you the opportunity, they gave you time, and what about you? Look at your current state, like a wounded and panicked jackal. Cowering in your own little den, not daring to move, you're afraid, you've lost confidence, so you don't dare face it. Isn't that right?"

  "Whoosh!"

  An icy dagger was pressed tightly against Roderick's throat in an instant.

  "Shut up, kid."

  The old man's face was gloomy, like a ferocious wolf.

  "You're not qualified to talk to me like that."

  "This sentence should be said by me to you."

  For the threat of the old man, Luo De didn't take it seriously at all. In fact, he was very clear about this old man's background - in the game, he was a high-value NPC with good attributes in the early stages of Deep Stone City. However, this did not mean that his IQ was necessarily good. In fact, in his personal task "Relive Past Glory", many people thought that the old man's actions were representative of stupidity. In that task, the mercenary group he used to be in was attacked by monsters, and after receiving the news, the old man decided to go rescue them. The player had to go help him, of course. But what made many players unhappy was that even though it was just a few dozen minutes away, the old man made it as complicated as a woman getting married, stopping on the road and worrying whether he should really go back or not. Did they still want to see him? A fifty- or sixty-year-old man acting like a nagging wife, making players so angry that they wanted to strangle him to death.

  But the cost of his hesitation was that by the time he arrived, all his former companions had become snacks in the monsters' stomachs. It wasn't until then that this old man finally reflected on his mistakes and had a cosmic explosion, perishing together with those monsters, making for a heroic tale of a prodigal son's return.

  Unfortunately, this play did not receive a warm welcome from the players. The old man's hesitation and indecision on the road delayed them for three or four hours, and in the end, they were surrounded by monsters. The players couldn't contain their anger and gave the old man a two-word evaluation with a raised middle finger, completely lacking in respect for the elderly.

  Rode is also one of them.

  It was also because of this task that he was very clear about what happened to Old Wok, his companions gave him enough patience and time, but the old man lost confidence due to the blow being too severe, like a turtle shrinking into its shell, completely rejecting the kindness of his companions. He never went to recognize his own mistakes, only attributing everything to others. Although he finally repented, this kind of thing appearing in a novel is fine for artistic purposes, but who wants it to happen in reality? What's the use of repenting when you're dead? The person you wanted to save is also dead, and so are you, wasting everyone's time, what did you get in the end?

  Now Rode says these words, on the one hand, naturally with a provocative meaning, this old man's personality is really a bit stubborn, you don't force him to be anxious, he can't jump up, and on the other hand, he also has a personal vendetta, at first, Rode was also miserable in this task, scolding without reaction in the game, so it's good to vent when seeing a real person.

  "At least I dare to face it, rather than hiding in a corner like a coward and drinking alone."

  Saying this, Luo De stood up and threw a few silver coins on the table.

  "I'll give you a day to think about it. If you've come around, you can find me at Seriel's manor tomorrow. But if I don't see your shadow by then, I never want to lay eyes on you again."

  After saying that, Rode turned around and left. Lijie, who was shocked by the scene in front of her and didn't know what to do, also quickly got up and followed Rode out.

  After the two left, Old Walker sat back in his chair with a thud, gritting his teeth and trembling with rage in both hands, but after a moment, he let out a long sigh, then buried his head deep between his arms, never speaking again.