Chapter 70: The City of Miracles

Hunters are a type of mercenary, but unlike other mercenaries whose roles may vary, hunters’ duties rarely change. Much like mercenary bands that escort employers between cities, hunters specialize in seeking out places where magical beasts appear, hunting them down, and then selling the valuable items they obtain—crystal cores, meat, horns, pelts—at the market to earn a living.

The income from this profession is indeed quite decent. Even the cheapest crystal core from a grade-four magical beast fetches over two gold coins, while a grade-five core often sells for seven or eight. If a small mercenary party of three to five hunters works together and manages to secure just two grade-four cores a day, each member’s share almost amounts to a gold coin. With additional earnings from pelts, meat, and horns, the profit is even greater. This is at least five times what Luo Chen earned hauling crates at the docks.

Of course, fighting magical beasts is not without danger. However, hunters are very familiar with the beasts in their hunting grounds, and mishaps are rare. Many hunters work in this field until retirement without incident—unless, of course, they are as unlucky as Luo Chen was during his training mission, which was an extraordinary case.

Luo Chen hesitated for a moment before saying, “Brother Carlo, do you think I’m up to it?”

“Of course you are! With the skills you just showed, I guarantee you’ll have no trouble hunting in the forests outside the city,” Carlo replied, patting his chest. “If you’re lucky enough to get a crystal core, you can sell it at the Miracle City market. Many places also buy materials from magical beasts—horns, meat, even blood all fetch a good price. I know quite a few hunters myself. One day, I’ll introduce you to someone experienced who can show you the ropes.”

“That would be great, thank you, Brother Carlo!”

“Don’t mention it, little brother! No need for such formality between us.”

Another day passed, and the group reached the outskirts of Thunder City, leaving the forest behind. Travelers now came and went, and the area was safe. The mercenary band brought the rescued refugees only this far, as they were pressed for time and would not enter the city.

Before parting, the old man brought a bag to Hayes. “Captain Hayes, thank you and your men for saving our lives. Here is a small token, not much, but please accept it.”

He opened the bag to reveal a heap of coins—mostly copper, with a few pieces of silver—barely amounting to a little over a single gold coin. Clearly, the refugees had scraped together what little they could to repay the mercenaries for saving and escorting them.

Hayes picked up a single copper coin. “By custom, we must accept a commission, or else it’s considered bad luck. This will be our fee. The rest, you should keep.”

The old man protested, “But—”

Hayes gently pushed his hand back. “Elder, enough. You have a hard enough time as it is, and this little bit means nothing to us. We must be on our way now. You should go into the city.”

The old man, full of gratitude, said, “Thank you, Captain Hayes, and all you brave men. Heaven will surely watch over kind souls like yours!”

Under Blair’s direction, the giant lizard began to move again. Carlo shouted, “Old man, remember—never hire unscrupulous mercenaries from outside the Guild again!”

The woman, meanwhile, clasped her wide-eyed baby’s tiny hand, waving gently at the departing mercenaries and Luo Chen. In a soft voice, she said, “Child, when you grow up, remember to be like these uncles and brothers—use your own strength to help those in need.”

The next night, as the sun set, the mercenary company did not stop to rest as usual, but pushed on. When darkness finally fell, the trees began to thin, and at last, they emerged from the forest, greeted by a sky full of stars.

Beneath the starlight, a splendid city appeared in the distance—Miracle City.

Miracle City was the largest and most prosperous place on the Azure Continent. As Luo Chen entered the city with the Wild Wolf Mercenary Company, he was utterly astonished.

It was even more beautiful, lively, and vast than he had imagined. The streets were several times broader than those in Silo City, with enormous statues of heroes everywhere. The crowds wore fashionable, stylish clothing, and the shops dazzled with a bewildering array of exquisite goods. Compared to this, little Silo City seemed no more than a village.

Like many country bumpkins seeing such grandeur for the first time, Luo Chen gasped in wonder. “Wow, Miracle City is so big and beautiful!”

“Haha! Of course it is. Anyone who sees Miracle City for the first time falls in love with it. This is the number one city on the Azure Continent!” Carlo laughed. “When I first came here, I was immediately enchanted by the endless bars lining every street and alley. The selection of drinks here is way better than in Silo City. I can’t stand it anymore—I have to go straight to the Shangri-La Bar for a drink or two as soon as I can. I’ve been craving it for days!”

After being deprived for so long, Carlo’s thirst for drink was insatiable. He urged Blair to hurry the giant lizard along, all the while enthusiastically pointing out the sights of Miracle City to Luo Chen.

“Little brother, see that shining tower? That’s the Pearl Tower, the tallest structure in Miracle City—over fifty meters high. The pearl at the top glows from the energy of crystal cores, and it consumes several pounds of them every day. Over there, see where the crowd is singing and dancing? That’s Miracle Square, always lively every evening. Oh, and don’t be fooled by that unremarkable little street—it’s actually Miracle City’s most famous food street, packed with all sorts of unique snacks at reasonable prices. You absolutely mustn’t miss it…”

In a metropolis like Miracle City, the giant lizard was only allowed to travel on the main transport roads. It was forbidden to wander into other streets or alleys, or even stop, lest it block the flow of traffic. Thus, Carlo could only sit atop the giant lizard, hurriedly pointing out notable places as they sped past.

After another twenty minutes, they finally arrived at their destination. The Mercenary Guild of Miracle City was far larger than that of Silo City, occupying as much ground as a public square.