Chapter 343 One hundred thousand U.S. dollars every month.
Alice inexplicably became seen as an unparalleled powerhouse in the eyes of everyone, a fighter who was significantly stronger than even Demi-God level warriors.
With such a powerful individual accompanying them, the members of the 13th Bureau were no longer worried about their safety.
Having someone stronger than a Demi-God level fighter with them meant they didn't have to fear any situation they might encounter.
As they continued their journey inward, they collected various items including the corpses of fierce beasts, along with soil and plant samples.
The 13th Bureau, being a national organization, used various high-tech instruments for analysis and had a more organized and professional approach compared to individual Soulmancers.
Alice, after her battle, had become famous among the Soulmancers as a hidden master and was also regarded as a guardian deity of the 13th Bureau.
If the Guild Master of the Emerald Lion Guild wasn't her match, other Soulmancers would naturally not dare to provoke their group.
No one really believed that Alice was just at mid-level Soulmancer standard, especially since none of them were stronger than the Guild Master of the Emerald Lion Guild.
"These shiny pearls look pretty good! They would make nice jewelry if taken back." Alice, having changed into the protective suit of the 13th Bureau, had dissected over a dozen beast corpses, filling the left pocket of her suit with soul essences.
She didn't realize that these shiny pearls she mentioned would be considered incredibly precious in the ancient Soulmancer circles.
If it weren't for the abundance of fierce beast corpses around, even a single soul essence could cause Soulmancers to fight over it.
Even now, despite the plethora of beast corpses, most Soulmancers, like Steven, found it impossible to work with these corpses, let alone extract soul essences.
Merely watching Alice effortlessly dissect the corpses of fierce beasts made any Soulmancer who witnessed it respect her deeply.
Some even followed their group to pick up leftovers.
Steven, skilled in social etiquette, allowed the 13th Bureau to leave the dissected corpses behind for other Soulmancers to take.
With Alice there, dissecting the corpses of fierce beasts was incredibly easy for the 13th Bureau, almost taking just four or five sword strokes per corpse.
Steven, walking alongside Alice and William, tentatively asked, "Alice, I wonder if you could join our organization, even as a special consultant would be great."
"I can apply for you to have an honorary instructor position, with a monthly salary of $100,000. We won't assign you any work, and there are no restrictions on clocking in; you can come whenever you want." Steven took a deep breath and continued, "I know you don't need the money, but as a special consultant, you'd just occasionally assist us with our work."
"Uh... So you mean, do nothing and get paid $100,000 a month?" Alice looked at Steven, puzzled, not understanding his intention.
"You can think of it that way," Steven said seriously. "You must have seen that our 13th Bureau doesn't have very strong combat capabilities. Even Zoey can't deter those Soulmancer method Guilds."
"Many large Soulmancer organizations have Demi-God level fighters. If our enforcement agency doesn't have a powerful figurehead, they won't take us seriously. If it comes to a fight, our words will have no weight." Steven firmly believed that only with power comes the right to speak.
"But... I really am just at mid-level Soulmancer standard..." Alice almost cried.
She understood Steven's point – they wanted to use her name to deter Soulmancers and pursue as much peace as possible.
It was a good idea.
The problem was that she had to be stronger than a Demi-God level fighter.
But she was really just a mid-level Soulmancer standard novice, who couldn't even fly.
She still didn't understand why Garen had called her Master, bowed to her, and treated her with such respect.
It was probably because of William being there.
Other than that, she couldn't think of any other reason.
"Your actual strength level isn't important right now," Steven whispered. "As long as those Guilds believe you are stronger than Garen, that's enough."
Alice said with a gloomy face, "If they really start fighting, do I have to go and break it up?"
"Don't worry, Demi-God level elites generally don't take action..."
"But didn't one take action today?" Alice was genuinely panicked.
Today she didn't know about Garen's strength and acted a bit overconfident, but thinking back, she was still scared.
Demi-God level!
If someone really wanted to kill her, she wouldn't even know how she died.
"Today was an exception..."
Steven wanted to persuade further, but William spoke up at the right moment, "I think this is a great idea."
Others might not know, but Steven was well aware that William was the real powerhouse. He just didn't dare to propose this directly to William, so he turned to Alice as the next best option.
Now that William had spoken, Steven gave him a grateful look.
Alice could have refused Steven's request, but once William spoke up, she couldn't say no.
"Okay..." Alice nodded her head reluctantly.
What else could she say?
She had realized that whenever William called her now, it was never for anything good!
And she had even thought earlier that maybe William missed her.
Not at all!
Her master was always pushing her into difficult situations.
But William didn't care about how Alice felt.
Alice's path of growth had always been smooth sailing, without much adversity or facing real challenges.
The challenge Steven proposed today unexpectedly became a valuable opportunity.
Sometimes, facing someone stronger than oneself doesn't necessarily mean a fight to the death.
Although not being able to defeat them is a given, scaring off a Demi-God level fighter as a mid-level Soulmancer, as happened today, is also a skill in its own right.
As night fell, Steven surprisingly ordered a fire to be made.
In the wilderness, this felt quite inappropriate and dangerous.
"Headquarters sent a message. According to satellite images, every living being in this area, except for us and those from the Guilds, is dead. We don't know what happened." Steven spoke with a grave expression. "On the surface, it seems safe, but we still need to be cautious. We don't know what greater dangers might lurk beneath this calm."
The fact that all living beings were dead was extremely bizarre in itself. If William weren't with them, Steven certainly wouldn't have chosen to stay overnight in this area.
Steven also arranged for people to keep watch. Regardless of the situation, basic defensive measures were necessary.
Alice and William walked aside, and she asked in a low voice, "Master, why did you agree to his request?"
William raised an eyebrow and said, "They're offering you $100,000 a month for nothing. Aren't you happy about that?"
"I don't need that money," Alice pouted, "You should know how much trouble agreeing to this kind of thing will bring."
William looked at her coldly and said, "I know, so what? If you've agreed and are taking the salary, then you should do what's required of you."
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