Chapter 817: Chapter 20 Special Mission_3
Behind them was the chubby store owner, his face twisted wryly as he muttered to himself, "A thousand steamed buns, even if I risk my old life, I can’t finish them in one night!"
After leaving the steamed bun shop, Xuan Yue started her big shopping spree, mainly focusing on food and also buying a few sets of clothes for Ah Dai and herself. Naturally, Ah Dai ended up carrying everything, Xuan Yue discovered everything was novel to her, she didn’t necessarily want to buy everything, but she was sure to look at everything. She visited almost every store in the small town until the evening approached. By then, Ah Dai was laden with various items. Just as they were preparing to return to the steamed bun shop, they were intercepted by a group of people in a deserted street where few people passed by.
This was a group of samurai in light armor, all fairly young, appearing to be around their twenties. There were about a dozen of them, uniformed, wearing Mercenary Guild badges on their chests; three of them sported silver badges, indicating their strength as second-level mercenaries. The most conspicuous among them was a female mercenary; she wore brown leather armor, her fiery red hair cascading behind her, very beautiful with an air of valiant elegance. She carried a pale-colored longbow gleaming with a silver metallic shine on her back, clearly an archer. Her seductive gaze shifted and settled on Ah Dai.
When they were stopped, Xuan Yue was not at all surprised; she hid behind Ah Dai and said, "It seems they have bad intentions, it’s up to you now."
Ah Dai nodded slightly and stepped forward, asking politely, "May I know what this is about?"
The leading mercenary, a second-level one dressed in silver light armor—apparently their leader—stepped forward with a smile, "Greetings, Magician sir, we are members of the Moon Scar Mercenary Corps, and I am the leader, Moon Scar. These are my brothers. We mean no harm by stopping you; we are only seeking cooperation."
Ah Dai paused and asked, "Seeking cooperation?"
Moon Scar nodded, "That’s right. We saw the entire process of you accepting the task at the Mercenary Guild. We’re also very interested in that Top-Grade Magic Crystal. I was wondering if your mercenary corps would be willing to partner with us for an adventure into the Death Mountain Range?"
Xuan Yue, realizing they weren’t there to rob them, hurried over and stood in front of Ah Dai, "You want to cooperate with us? What are you looking to gain?"
Moon Scar smiled slightly, "Miss Magician, as you can see, we are all young, and we heard what you said in the Guild. We’re not after wealth, it’s purely for the sake of adventure. Only places like the Death Mountain Range are worth our exploration. If there are a lot of Top-Grade Magic Crystals to find, we hope you could share a portion with us, that’d be enough. After all, you took on the task. If it weren’t for your presence, miss, we really wouldn’t have the courage to go."
Xuan Yue blinked her big eyes, thought that since Ka Rui said the Death Mountain Range was very dangerous, it seemed to be true. If she could have this group join them, the chances of success would be much greater, and furthermore, it would be livelier with more people. Besides, they were all young, which seemed fine to her. She nodded and said, "Alright then, we can go. But you’ll have to follow my command, and not make decisions on your own."
The redhead girl came up beside Moon Scar, "How is that fair? There are only two of you, and we are so many. We are not even from the same mercenary corps, why should we follow your lead?"
Xuan Yue snorted, "I don’t care, you have to listen to me. Don’t forget, I am a Magician, a Light Magician. And only I can identify Top-Grade Magic Crystals."
Moon Scar paused, a glimmer of joy flashed in his eyes. The value of a Light Magician was not in their attack power but mainly in their ability to use Healing spells and Support Magic on the team. This way, they could prevent a lot of casualties. Moon Scar nodded, "In that case, we agree. Little sister, who asked for your opinion?"
The redhead girl grunted unconvinced, "By the sound of her voice, she’s probably younger than I am. I won’t accept her command unless she can best me."
Xuan Yue had never shied away from a challenge and coldly snorted, "You don’t accept it? Fine! Then I’ll accept your challenge. So what if I’m not as old as you, does age necessarily equate to high skills?" As she spoke, she lifted her cloak to reveal her extraordinary beauty, causing several mercenaries to gasp in awe simultaneously, and the beauty of the redhead was immediately overshadowed.
Ah Dai put down the items he was carrying and lowered his head, saying to Xuan Yue, "Miss, let me handle this." Even Ah Dai knew that archers were a nightmare for Magicians, and having promised the Red Bishop, he could not allow Xuan Yue to get hurt again.
Xuan Yue did not appreciate the gesture. She gave the redhead a dismissive look and said, "No need, I can take care of her myself." With that, she raised her Magic Wand.
Moon Scar also wanted to see what gave this girl, who looked no more than a teenager, the right to the title of a senior Magician. He nodded to his sister and whispered, "Don’t hurt her."
The redhead nonchalantly grunted in acknowledgment, took off her longbow, and like magic, a Silver Arrow was already nocked on the string. The other mercenaries retreated about a dozen steps, creating space for them. The redhead drew the bow fully, "Little sister, don’t say I bullied you. My Wind Extermination Arrow has magic-piercing properties. Remember my name, I am Yue Ji." As soon as her words fell, the Silver Arrow shot out like lightning, turning into a blur as it covered the distance of less than thirty steps toward Xuan Yue. Yue Ji’s archery was somewhat known in the Mercenary World, beyond precise. With that arrow, she only intended to nick a piece of Xuan Yue’s clothing, just to embarrass the girl prettier than her.
