Chapter Ninety-Six: The Mercenary Guild

A good one? Lin Xiaobao asked in confusion.

At a glance, the man could tell it was the young man’s first visit to East Plain City. Eager to make the deal, he answered with a broad smile, “Usually when people come across something valuable on Black Wind Mountain, they do not dare take it out in the open, so they talk like this in secret.”

Though the explanation was vague, Lin Xiaobao roughly understood the meaning. Wealth should not be displayed. Still, after seeing the junk on the street stalls in the city, he clearly held little hope for what this man called a treasure. “Forget it. I’m in a hurry to register as a mercenary.”

Seeing that Lin Xiaobao had not yet registered, the man grew even warmer in his attentions. In his eyes, Lin Xiaobao had become an easy mark; after all, anyone who had spent time among mercenaries would naturally sharpen his judgment, and selling one’s goods at a high price became far more difficult.

“You want to register as a mercenary? Then you must take a look at my wares. This is a must-have item for any mercenary. If I weren’t in urgent need of money, I’d never part with it!” The man wore the pained expression of one sacrificing a beloved treasure.

“Is that so?” Lin Xiaobao would not be deceived so easily by such tricks, but the man had already lightly taken hold of his sleeve and led him toward a corner of the street.

Once there, the man turned his back to the road and glanced around before quietly producing a stalk of Spirit-Emptiness Grass from his robes. “See? I didn’t lie to you, did I? Spirit-Emptiness Grass. You can take it directly, and it quickly restores inner force. It is absolutely an essential item for a mercenary’s adventures!”

Because Lin Xiaobao had inscribed concealment formations upon himself, the man naturally assumed he possessed only the cultivation of an acquired martial artist, and so he spared no effort in promoting his product.

“Is this Spirit-Emptiness Grass? Why does it have one extra leaf?” Lin Xiaobao asked in deliberate puzzlement. With his eye, he naturally saw that the plant was not Spirit-Emptiness Grass at all, but a Spirit-Small Vine that closely resembled it.

“This is a hundred-year Spirit-Emptiness Grass, which is why it has an extra leaf. I’ve heard that once it reaches a thousand years, it will have two extra leaves!” To make the sale, the man began to boast wildly.

“A hundred years?” Lin Xiaobao seemed somewhat tempted. “Then what price do you want?”

“The market price for ordinary Spirit-Emptiness Grass is ten gold coins. This one is a hundred years old, so twenty gold coins is already a bargain for you,” the man said through gritted teeth, eyeing Lin Xiaobao’s clothing. In truth, he knew very well that the plant was not Spirit-Emptiness Grass at all; he had merely taken it out because Lin Xiaobao looked like a novice and he wanted to try his luck.

“Deal!” Lin Xiaobao said, slipping a hand into his robes. With a thought, the gold coins fell from the Star Peak Ring into his palm. After a pause, he added, “But I want to know where you found this Spirit-Emptiness Grass. After I register as a mercenary, I’d like to try my luck there too.”

Spirit-Small Vine. People in this world should not know much about it. At the very least, Lin Xiaobao had never seen any related records in the early volumes of Wind and Snow or in the collected classics of the Wind and Snow Pavilion.

Yet with the two elders residing within his body, Lin Xiaobao’s knowledge was absolutely among the highest in this world.

Spirit-Small Vine had no medicinal value whatsoever, and its taste was somewhat bitter. It was useless even for cooking. However, wherever Spirit-Small Vine grew, there was a possibility of a spirit mine nearby; Elder Mo had once mentioned this.

The man took the gold coins from Lin Xiaobao with great delight. He had not expected that this useless weed could fetch such a high price. He immediately drew a map from his robes and said, “This is a map of Black Wind Mountain. I found the Spirit-Emptiness Grass there.” He pointed to a spot on the map. “Since you are so straightforward, I’ll give you this map as well.”

“Then thank you very much.” Twenty gold coins meant almost nothing to Lin Xiaobao now. Even if no spirit mine was found, it would not be a great loss. But if one were discovered, then such a cost would be even less worth mentioning.

Once both had gotten what they wanted, they took their leave with smiles.

Tucking the map of Black Wind Mountain into his robes, Lin Xiaobao walked toward the doors of the Mercenary Guild. The moment he stepped inside, the clamorous noise in his ears vanished at once. Uncertain whether an expert was seated here, Lin Xiaobao did not dare casually release his spiritual sense. Looking around, he noticed traces of a formation around the building. It could not only isolate outside sound, but if activated, the entire Mercenary Guild would become a massive fortress. Even if a strong practitioner at the ninth stage of Spirit Path tried to break in by force, it would take considerable effort.

It seemed the Mercenary Guild truly possessed some strength.

Muttering to himself, Lin Xiaobao walked toward the counter. “I would like to register as a mercenary. May I?”

“Of course. Please come with me.” A girl at the counter, around ten years old, smiled faintly and led Lin Xiaobao to the back. After giving a few instructions to the staff there, she returned to the counter.

“You want to register as a mercenary?” Compared with the girl at the counter, this middle-aged man’s attitude was much less cordial.

“Yes,” Lin Xiaobao nodded.

“Name? Hometown? And one gold coin.” The man did not even look up from his work, seemingly unconcerned with whether the identity of the person seeking mercenary status was genuine.

This suited Lin Xiaobao perfectly. “Lin Xiaobao, from Moon-Gazing City.” As he spoke, he handed over a gold coin.

Though the middle-aged man was rather indifferent, his efficiency was extremely high. In no time at all, he handed Lin Xiaobao a mercenary badge. “This is your mercenary badge. For how to accept missions and raise the rank of your badge, there is a mercenary guide on the wall opposite. Go read it yourself.”

Taking the badge, Lin Xiaobao did not bother with any of the so-called mercenary guides. He had only come here to work as a mercenary for a while so he could leave the Kingdom of Ningfeng; it was not as though he planned to make this his life’s work.

Since that was the case, Lin Xiaobao went straight to the mission board.

The mission posting area was located at the far left of the Mercenary Guild. Though loud noise was prohibited here, one could still hear countless hushed whispers upon approaching.

Looking over the many missions recorded in the hall, Lin Xiaobao continuously filtered out those that could not take him to the Blood Victory Empire.

At last, one mission appeared before his eyes: escort a young lady to the imperial capital of the Blood Victory Empire, Bloodwind City. Reward: one hundred gold coins.

This was the one.

Lin Xiaobao immediately walked to a staff member and said, “I want to take the thirty-sixth mission.”

The staff member was a middle-aged man. He glanced at Lin Xiaobao and said, “Do you not know that any mission involving entering Black Wind Mountain requires at least a team of five, or else a mercenary company?”

Ah...

Only then did Lin Xiaobao remember the regulations regarding crossing the border. He looked somewhat troubled. Did he need to join a mercenary company? But if he joined one, his movements might be restricted. Besides, a mercenary company might not even take this mission.