Chapter Sixty-Six: The Leather-Clad Warrior

Luo Chen walked straight up to them. “Excuse me, are you a mercenary group traveling to and from Miracle City?”

“Nonsense!” a burly mercenary clad in heavy armor immediately shouted. “If we weren’t a mercenary group running trips to Miracle City, would we be standing around this hall?”

“Karlo, how many times have I told you not to be rude to our guests!” reprimanded another mercenary beside him, a man with a thin mustache. He stepped forward and addressed Luo Chen. “Hello, young man. I am Hayes, captain of the H-rank Wild Wolf Mercenary Group. Are you looking to go to Miracle City?”

Luo Chen nodded. “Yes, but before that, I’d like to ask about the price.”

“Two gold coins,” Hayes replied.

“Two gold coins?” That was a hefty sum. Luo Chen had spent his summer vacation working at the docks whenever he wasn’t training, and he’d only managed to save just over three gold coins. Now, more than half of it would be gone in a flash. He tried to bargain, “Captain Hayes, could you perhaps make it a bit cheaper?”

“Cheaper?” The armored man broke in again. “Everyone in Slo City knows that among all the passenger mercenary groups traveling to Miracle City, our Wild Wolf rates are the lowest. You still find it expensive? Outrageous!”

“Shut your mouth, Karlo, or you’ll be sorry later!” Hayes was clearly annoyed. Karlo’s big mouth had driven away who knew how many clients, damaging both the group’s profit and reputation.

“I apologize for my companion’s rudeness,” Hayes continued. “Two gold coins is the standard price for ordinary people. If you have a Probationary Brave Certificate, the fee is reduced by ten percent; with a Brave Certificate, the discount is fifteen percent. Without any certification, though, the base rate applies. This is already the lowest price, set by the Mercenary Guild itself—we can’t disrupt the market.”

Those with a Probationary Brave Certificate or Brave Certificate were less of a burden than ordinary civilians and might even lend a hand in case of trouble, so the fee was lower.

Anyone who graduated from a basic academy received a Probationary Brave Certificate. Luo Chen reached into his chest pocket, silently recited the command, and deftly retrieved his documents from his jingle pouch—by now, he was quite adept at it, and it looked just as if he were simply reaching into his coat.

“Captain Hayes, here are my papers.”

Hayes took a quick look and nodded. “That’s correct. You qualify for the ten percent discount. Would you like to join our group?”

Luo Chen nodded. “Yes.”

“Very well. Please sign this accident waiver and provide the name and address of a third-party contact.” Hayes handed over a form, explaining, “While we do our utmost to guarantee your safety—and since our group’s founding, we’ve never had an accident—these formalities are required.”

The accident waiver was a standard document from the Mercenary Guild. Every client had to agree to it—otherwise, they couldn’t hire mercenaries. It also ensured that, in the event of serious incidents such as a client’s death, a third party could be notified.

Luo Chen glanced over the document and signed it. For the third-party contact, he simply wrote “none,” as he had no relatives.

After payment, Hayes continued, “Young man, we don’t provide food along the way, so you’d best pack your own rations. Barring any unusual circumstances, we’ll arrive in Miracle City by late afternoon three days from now—four days’ worth of food should suffice. Our group departs at noon sharp. Please be on time at the assembly point. Until then, feel free to explore the city, make any necessary purchases, or wait here in the hall.”

With several hours until noon and nothing much left to buy, Luo Chen recalled he still had plenty of jerky that Shi Feng had bought during summer break—enough to keep him fed on the journey. Still, it might look strange to produce so many supplies out of thin air once they were on the road. So, he left the Thieves’ Guild, withdrew the jerky and other items from his pouch, packed them in a large bag, and returned to the hall.

“Kid, you’re in luck,” Karlo, the boisterous mercenary, crowed. “Don’t be fooled by our Wild Wolf Mercenary Group’s H-rank. That’s just because we haven’t taken many jobs yet and have fewer members. When it comes to individual strength, I’ll tell you—we’re tougher than plenty of G-rank groups!”

With nothing else to do, Luo Chen was happy to let Karlo boast, even throwing in the occasional compliment. Karlo clearly appreciated the attention, growing more animated as he talked—soon he was recounting his own adventures in battle, spittle flying.

“Ever heard of the Rampaging Iron Bull? That’s a high-level magical beast, with boundless strength and a natural skill called Savage Charge—it can easily bring down half a small mountain!” Karlo’s bluster knew no bounds, growing ever more outlandish. “We ran into one of those beasts on an escort mission. But that wasn’t our misfortune—it was its misfortune! Of all the groups it could have messed with, it just had to pick ours. As it lowered its head and charged, smashing boulders left and right like some ancient armored vehicle, I, Karlo, strode forward and—”

He slapped the greatsword on his back, clearly his trusty “companion.” “—with my blade, I struck straight at its skull. Know what happened next?”

Karlo grinned in triumph. “I didn’t budge an inch, but that rampaging bull went flying and died before it even hit the ground. When I checked afterward, I’d split its skull right open—and we even pocketed its crystal core, hahahaha…”

The other mercenaries chimed in, “Karlo, you’re full of it. We remember the one who went sailing after being hit was you, and the one who finished the beast off was the captain!”

Karlo’s bluff exposed, he looked a bit embarrassed but argued stubbornly, “If I hadn’t risked my life to land the first heavy blow, the captain wouldn’t have had it so easy—admit it, that’s true, isn’t it?”

This time, the others didn’t tease him further. Karlo was a braggart, sure, but he had the virtue of fearlessness—always volunteering as the shield in battle, earning himself the nickname “Deathless Karlo” in the Mercenary Guild. His fierce courage made him a well-liked companion.

Luo Chen laughed. “No matter what, Brother Karlo, you’re still amazing. That bull could topple a small mountain, yet you withstood its charge. If it were me, I’d probably have been knocked all the way back to Slo City!”

Karlo grinned from ear to ear at the praise, instantly warming to Luo Chen. “Young man, you flatter me. It’s my duty to protect our clients—when you’ve hired me, I give it my all!” He thumped his chest with a resounding boom. “Don’t worry. As long as I’m around, not a single magical beast will lay a finger on you on the road to Miracle City!”

“Then I’ll be counting on you, Brother Karlo!”

Karlo’s spirits soared. “Leave it to me! You paid your fee—you’re my employer now. If a beast wants your life, it’ll have to step over my corpse first!”

Caught up in his own excitement, Karlo pulled out a wineskin and was about to take a swig of strong liquor, but a sharp glare from Hayes made him think twice—drinking was strictly forbidden before departure or during an escort mission.

As they chatted, noon soon arrived. The other passengers joining the group had gathered as well—fifteen in all, men and women, young and old, all of them ordinary folk without martial training.

After confirming everyone was present, Karlo got to his feet and shouted, “All right, everyone—let’s move out!”