Chapter 397: Chapter 85: The Girl Appears Again_1
Ah Dai looked at the girl’s hateful expression, his heart filled with despair as he spoke softly, "I did not come to become a mercenary, I am already a mercenary. With the aid of the Divine Dragon’s Blood, let the doors of time and space open." A blue glow emerged from Ah Dai’s chest as the mercenary card he had registered with the Red Charming Clan flew out, lightly landing in his hand. He handed the card to the girl, waiting for her response.
The girl was somewhat surprised as she noticed the blue glow radiating from Ah Dai, she hadn’t expected this seemingly downcast man to possess such ability. She took the card and checked it against the thick registration book of the Mercenary Guild. After a while, she seemed to find Ah Dai’s information and exclaimed, "Ah! Are you a member of the Special Class Mercenary Group ’Heaven’s Evil’?"
Ah Dai was taken aback, "I thought we were just a regular Third-Class Mercenary Group. When did we become Special Class?"
The girl replied, "This is the record from the main guild, there’s no mistake. It states that you guys completed a special-class mission, and the guild has exceptionally promoted you to a Special Class Mercenary Group. Both Guild Leader Xuan Yue and Vice-leader Ah Dai have been upgraded to Special Class Mercenaries. Oh, and the task you guys completed was retrieving a Top-Grade Magic Crystal from the Death Mountain Range. This task offers a very high reward! If it weren’t for the fact that you completed the mission with the Moon Scar Mercenary Group, you might have even been promoted to Superior Mercenary Group. After all, there are very few people who can complete Special Class missions."
It then dawned on Ah Dai that Moon Scar must have submitted their names while handing over the Top-Grade Magic Crystal. After all, they were the ones who had taken up the mission initially. He wondered how Moon Scar and his group were doing; it had been two years since they had parted ways.
Upon discovering that Ah Dai was a Special Class mercenary, the girl’s tone became significantly more respectful. She delicately asked, "Would you like to accept a mission?"
Ah Dai was jolted back to reality, "Oh, yes, I’d like to undertake a mission. Something I can complete quickly. The reward does not matter; an average one will do."
The girl looked at Ah Dai, puzzled, "A task that can be completed quickly? Those are usually lower level tasks and have correspondingly lower rewards. Are you sure? Given your current level, you should take on higher-level tasks."
Ah Dai only needed enough to cover his journey to the Illusive Forest. He did not yearn for money. He nodded and replied, "I am sure. Any task will do, as long as I can complete it quickly."
The girl nodded, pointing at the task board behind her she said, "Then you can go ahead and choose one. General everyday tasks are often quite easy to complete, such as delivering messages. They’re quite straightforward. Since you’ve already become a Special Class mercenary, your card will need to be changed. You pick your task first, I’ll get your card for you." That said, she turned and walked into the room.
Ah Dai looked at the task board at the Mercenary Guild and began selecting from the bottom up. While there were plenty of available tasks, he couldn’t find an appropriate one for a long time. As he looked up towards the higher level tasks, he finally came across a First-Class task that required a mercenary to deliver an item to the City Lord’s mansion. Once the City Lord opens the item, the task is considered complete. Yes, this task seems right. The reward would suffice, and it would save time.
By then, the girl had come back. The mercenary card Ah Dai had been holding was replaced by a gold card featuring the Mercenary Guild’s emblem. It was finely crafted. Special class mercenaries indeed had unique perks. When Ah Dai informed her of the task he wanted, she said, "This task was just posted not long ago. Interestingly the reward has been paid in advance, a total of fifty gold coins. Isn’t this task too simple for you? We have some special class tasks available, you might want to consider them."
Ah Dai shook his head and said, "I’ll take this task as I have other matters and can’t afford to waste much time."
The girl agreed with a nod, swiftly listing Ah Dai for the task and handed over the object to be delivered along with the fifty gold coins.
After leaving the Mercenary Guild, Ah Dai found a nearby tavern and spent three gold coins to enjoy a big meal. He turned his frustrations of being mistaken as a beggar into a ravenous appetite, eating the equivalent of three meals before he happily settled the bill and left. As he walked out of the tavern, Ah Dai thought to himself that since he had spent the reward, it was time to fulfill the task. He picked up the wooden box and looked it over but found nothing special. The box was beautifully made with the word "good fortune" carved on it. The corners were wrapped in metal, but it was quite light. No noise could be heard when he slightly shook it. Despite his curiosity, Ah Dai knew that a mercenary was not allowed to open the package they were tasked to deliver. After asking a passerby for directions to the City Lord’s mansion, he went straight there.
Lord of Duru City’s Mansion. The current Lord of Duru City, Fagle, who was past the age of sixty, wasn’t just the lord of one city but was also the governor of the entire Duru Province and its hereditary Marquis, managing all provincial affairs. Duru Province, a major province of the Empire of Tian Jing, was located near the Mica Province at the southernmost part of the empire and was a strategic hotspot. Given that Fagle could hold the position as a governor here, showcased the high-level trust he received from the empire. Today, the grandson and granddaughter of his friend, Governor of the Mica Province, Teirhaus, paid him a visit on behalf of Teirhaus, bringing along several precious gifts. Fagle was overjoyed and held a banquet in their honor. He and Teirhaus had been friends for many years. When they were younger, they had been a pair of up-and-comers, both successfully inheriting their families’ titles and using their intelligence to climb up to their current positions. Although their respective duties had made them less likely to meet in their later years, this did not affect their friendship. Even if Teirhaus could not visit him due to busy official duties, he would always send his trusted aides to visit Fagle. Similarly, Fagle would reciprocate and send his aides to visit Teirhaus. Duru and Mica provinces became closely allied due to their relationship, having a substantial influence throughout the Empire of Tian Jing. Not even The Emperor of the Empire would easily make any significant adjustments to these two important provinces, leaving them to their handling. Fagle and Teirhaus had become de facto regional emperors in the Empire of Tian Jing, holding power over one-third of the empire’s troops.
