"I have a condition." Clovis raised one finger.
The others were quite surprised by this decision. The entire atmosphere felt like Clovis was about to accept him, but surprisingly, Clovis wanted to add something first.
"What is that?" Ragna gulped down, feeling the pressure.
"First of all, we are not from this city, so we don’t know anything about you, especially your reputation. What we know comes from what you’ve claimed. I’m not saying if you’re lying or something, but there’s still a need to prove yourself first, don’t you think?"
"That’s…" Ragna thought for a moment. "…understandable."
"And the reason why we’re here is to prepare ourselves for the Shining Star Competition."
"Shining Star? The competition for under 25 years old? If I’m not wrong, you guys are…"
"Our age is more suitable for the lower one, but Melody can’t participate if that’s the case. There is a chance that we will register your name as well. And after that, we’re planning to return to our own city. So I want you to make a decision with that thought in mind."
Ragna nodded in understanding. "I personally don’t care much about this city. While I was raised in the orphanage, it wasn’t in this city and that orphanage was destroyed along with the city a few years ago. That’s why… are you planning to visit other cities as well?"
Considering Ragna’s aim was to find his parents while exploring the world, Clovis said, "Of course. That’s our original intention. I can’t say the details, but I can say for sure it will happen within a year. And I’m sure you understand what this means, right?"
Ragna’s expression turned grim. With such talented people, it wouldn’t be weird if these people could actually get to Tier 2 or even Tier 3 before twenty years old. If Ragna couldn’t keep up with them, he might be left behind.
Hence, Ragna said, "Please state your condition. I will definitely do my best."
Clovis nodded. "In that case, my only condition is that we’ll get to know you first. You can say that we’ll hire you through the usual hiring method like a mercenary. What’s the rate of Tier 2 guardian again?"
Melody checked the association and said, "It’s 25,000 union dollars per day."
"In that case, we’ll pay you 25,000 per day as well as 20% of the Tier 2 essence we’ve got during the expedition," Clovis explained his plan.
Ragna didn’t feel offended by this offer even though Jay had asked them to come so that Ragna could join their group. He might have been praised, but it didn’t change the fact that he had a glaring weakness.
Clovis wanted to use this process to learn more about him while leaving the option to reject him if he wasn’t suited to the group.
Ragna gave a gentle smile. "I’ll agree to that condition. Since I’m just a free explorer, it’s not that bad to accompany a promising group for a while. If you think I’m trustworthy, I don’t mind participating in the competition as well. I’ll do my best not to shame you."
Clovis extended his hand. "In that case, we have a deal."
"Yes, Captain." Ragna shook his hand firmly. Even though he didn’t say it, he thought about taking revenge against his previous group by showing an incredible result in the competition. It would be hard, but he believed he was capable of doing it.
"Also, we’re planning to go on an expedition tomorrow… Are you free by the way?"
"Yes. I can recover easily, including my stamina. So you don’t have to worry about me." Ragna nodded. "And if you can tell me about the destination, I might be able to offer you some additional information about that place."
"In that case…" Clovis pondered for a moment. "How about going to a family restaurant to talk about tomorrow’s expedition? You and Jay haven’t eaten yet, right?"
"Yes, I’d love to."
Now that the agreement had been met, they could finally talk about the next step.
Ragna was leading them to a restaurant. On the way, Jay couldn’t help but come to him.
"Clovis, sorry." Jay had a wry smile on his face, feeling bad that he ended up involving Clovis in this matter.
"It’s fine." Clovis patted Jay’s shoulder. "In the end, I’ll be the one making a decision. So it’s not your fault. No, I think I’m supposed to say ’good job’ here. He is indeed a good guardian."
Jay asked, "So for the next few weeks…"
"Yeah. We’ll just have to see whether he is trustworthy or not." Clovis nodded.
This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.
"Don’t worry. I’ll be observing him as well. Your identity is special, so there’s also a chance that he is a spy who wants to enter the group through me. If that’s the case, I will be the one to cut him down." Jay’s expression turned grim.
Jay might have lost to Clovis that day and failed to become the captain of the group. While he might not have put much effort into the group, his desire to make the group successful was the same as Clovis.
Clovis smiled. "I’m lucky to have you."
Jay smiled, gratified. Both of them soon noticed Kanaria watching them closely.
"What?" Clovis turned his head around.
"You know, you look like brothers. Your way of thinking is the same even though you are different…" Kanaria shook her head helplessly.
"Isn’t that good?"
"In real life, yes. Imagine you go to the Skynet, people will call you something else." Kanaria shrugged. "There’s no brotherhood in Skynet."
"And why are you talking about this?" Clovis’s eyebrows twitched.
"I’m just thinking… if our group has become even more successful, we will need someone to handle the PR. Both of you are handsome, so…Heh." Kanaria chuckled while looking away.
"Are you seriously saying that?" Clovis wanted to vomit blood, not expecting Kanaria to bring such a topic.
"Of course not. It’s just… you have never proved otherwise." Kanaria shrugged.
"What are you? Thirsty?" Clovis shook his head helplessly.
"Hahahaha. Imagine losing to a man, Kanaria," said Jay with a sly grin.
"…" Kanaria tried to elbow him, but Jay skillfully avoided it. Both of them stared at each other before Jay ran away while Kanaria chased after him.
Clovis only chuckled, thinking that these two were indeed childhood friends.