Mercenary Wars

Chapter 242 Valley of Decisiveness
Adventure brokers are the lubricant of the entire adventurer ecosystem. In addition to registering information, selling insurance, and selling fossil potions, they have many other functions.

For example, providing "adventure loans" for adventurers. Many adventurers—especially those who only operate on the first floor of the Adventurers' Guild—often choose this uncertain path when they are financially strapped or even penniless.

Therefore, a loan becomes quite important, allowing lower-level adventurers to obtain some basic equipment and potions. Of course, some argue that for adventurers, divine favor or luck is paramount, and many adventures end with nothing happening and nothing gained. Therefore, the greatest significance of a loan is not to help adventurers, but rather to allow the Adventurers' Guild to earn interest.

For example, introducing quests and teammates is probably the most important function of an adventure broker.

The information provided is based on the Adventurers' Guild's registration information. Each officially registered adventurer leaves behind a wealth of information in the guild's records, including their mission experience, personal abilities, and teammate evaluations. Agents then use this information to facilitate collaborations. They need to carefully weigh the characteristics of each adventurer to maximize the interests of all parties.

The success of this work will directly determine an adventurer's reputation and earnings, and sometimes even their fate, since their professional ethics are supported by sworn oaths.

A renowned and excellent adventure broker can always find the most suitable team for a mission, and the most suitable mission for the team.

Adrian plans to form a four-person team, with two members from the Exploration Society of Ax Magic Academy and the other two introduced by the adventure broker Gideon.

Two teammates arrived quickly.

A level seven dwarf hunter named Moreno, he was stocky, with a finely braided beard, and carried a powerful bow taller than a man on his shoulder.

A level six paladin named Charlie was strong, with thick blond hair and righteous features, which fit the stereotype of a paladin. However, his light stubble made him look a little different and went against the paladin's rules about appearance.

In fact, he had already retired from the Paladin Order, so strictly speaking, he should be called a "former Paladin".

Charlie's retirement was for a simple, even common, reason—he was reported to have a grey holy name, which was subsequently confirmed by an investigation.

A warrior of the gods must be pure, so naturally, he had to shed his noble armor and return to the mortal world. It is precisely for this reason that he could become an adventurer. After all, as the noblest military class in the world of Farallon, a true paladin, even if financially strapped, is unlikely to mingle in the marketplace; honor and discipline would compel them to maintain the purity of a "warrior of the gods."

Fortunately, Charlie seems to be doing quite well after leaving the priesthood. Leveraging his former paladin status and skills, he has successfully transitioned into the high-end adventure field and is quite popular. Often, a team needs to offer additional conditions to invite him to join.

This mission was no exception. Under the coordination and notarization of the adventure broker Gideon, Adrian and Charlie reached an agreement that if the mission was completed, the rewards would be distributed according to the announcement; if the mission was not completed, Adrian would still need to pay Charlie a guaranteed reward of one hundred gold coins.

Gideon notarized many other things, which together constitute the so-called "Adventure Team Agreement".

The first part of the "Adventure Team Agreement" concerns team obligations, such as teammates helping each other and never harming one another. This part is the most basic and crucial, so in addition to being presented in written form, it is also reported to the gods via an oath scroll to ensure its binding force even in lawless lands. Only after this comes the business aspect, including profit distribution, team division of labor, and so on—virtually everything, big or small. Without the help of the Adventurers' Guild and Gideon, the wrangling and disputes would have dragged on indefinitely.

After agreeing on obligations, assignments, and division of labor, the four officially formed an adventure team.

They first purchased some supplies at the Adventurers' Guild, and then went to the "Lucky Gold Coin Tavern" for a meal.

The Lucky Coin Tavern is actually part of the Adventurers' Guild, and many adventurers come here for a meal before and after their adventures.

The atmosphere here also matches the culture of adventurers. Some unusual adventure loot hangs on the wooden walls, and the air is filled with the aroma of various roasted meats and fine wines. The slightly noisy sounds echo with fresh adventure stories.

While eating, the four of them got to know each other through conversation—the focus of the conversation was, of course, Charlie, as most of them were inevitably curious about the paladin's experiences.

"Charlie, who reported you for having a grey holy name?" Adrian asked, taking a sip of his drink.

“A bastard named Robinson,” Charlie said. “Of course, I have no proof, and he won’t admit it, but I’m sure it was this guy who reported me! I heard that in the days after I left the Holy Knights, he was humming a little tune every day!”

Have you considered removing the holy name?

Charlie: "I've considered it, but it's too painful and the cost is too high. Even after being expelled, I would still have to endure discrimination from some people, and to be honest..."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I've had enough of the paladin's life too. It's like being an ascetic—at least ascetics don't have to wear plate armor every day!"

“Indeed, a life without constraints is the most carefree!” Moreno the dwarf laughed heartily. “I have a friend in the Griffin Knights, and every time we meet, he pours out his woes!”

Charlie was somewhat surprised: "The Griffin Knights have pretty good benefits, and they don't have many rules."

Moreno: "Generally speaking, it's good, but it depends on who your boss is. If you have a bad boss, then you're in trouble."

Who is your friend's boss?

Moreno shook his head: "I can't say."

"Marshal Windsor?"

"How could that be? The Marshal is a very good man, and he was transferred a long time ago."

"General Tavenbright?"

"No, don't ask anymore, let's drink." Moreno picked up his glass.

At that moment, Adrian suddenly asked in a low voice, "Could it be a member of the royal family?"

Moreno paused, then said, "I didn't say anything."

He then began to drink heavily.

Seeing his reaction, Adrian, Gaucano, and Charlie stopped asking questions and started talking about other topics while continuing to drink and eat.

After the four had eaten and drunk their fill, they rented a carriage and headed north to the teleportation hall, then traveled through the portal to Gadgetzan.

Generally speaking, as the smallest country, the Bo Kingdom does not have a teleportation portal.

But the County of Gadgetzan was an exception.

This country is not large in area, but it possesses abundant resources, including a large gold mine and several high-quality ports. Its economy is very developed, and it even has a decent magic academy—Krischk Magic Academy.

According to some popular rankings of magic academies in the Mosa Kingdom, Krisik Magic Academy is one of the ten magic academies ranked third, second only to Deep Blue Academy of the Kingdom of Liberland and Ax Magic Academy of the Kingdom of Sain.

Compared to its prosperous economy, magic, and culture, Gadgetzan has a rather thin history. In the eyes of some ancient nations, it is even simply considered to have "no history."

Gadgetzan cannot refute this; it is indeed one of the youngest nations on the continent of West Faralo.

Its establishment is directly related to the destination of Gaucano and his three companions.

Valley of the Kingdom of Gadgetzan. From this name, one can vaguely glimpse the history that shaped the County of Gadgetzan.

More than a hundred years ago, the Valley of the Decree was not called that; it was just an ordinary canyon. Gadgetzan was not a country either, but a geographical area centered on the city of Gadgetzan, belonging to the Principality of Mambara.

Until the formation of tidal flats.

The sudden appearance of the Tidal Lands encompassed a large area, including the canyons, cutting off the main transportation routes in and out of Gadgetzan and greatly strengthening the Gadgetzanites' separatist tendencies.

The Gadgetzan people have always had a certain inclination towards independence. After all, this region has abundant resources and excellent ports, while other areas of the Duchy of Mambara are relatively barren.

In fact, Mumbala is not very barren. It is much better than Asur, which is mostly desert. Its agricultural conditions are quite good. With its relatively small territory, it supports tens of millions of people. It is the most populous principality in West Fararo and can be called a major agricultural country and a major population country.

But the Gadgetzans, being born in the Gold Mountain, inevitably look down on farmers from other regions.

Stimulated by the Tidal Lands, the Gadgetzanians' desire for independence intensified, eventually leading to the establishment of an independent state and the formation of the County of Gadgetzan as we know it today.

It was precisely because the original Mambala Principality was divided in two that this land of tides came to be known as the "Valley of the Divided Kingdoms".

When Gaucano and his companions arrived, the Valley of Judgment had already been open for three days.

According to the Fitzroy Prophet's Express, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the tide will rise again tomorrow, raising the level cap to eight, allowing their team, whose average level is six and a half, to enter.

"Adrian, can we use the 'Oracle Transfer Scroll' now?" Moreno asked.

“Wait, let’s not rush,” Adrian said. “What if the divination results are wrong?”

Moreno: "All the news I've heard is that the Canyon of the Dead will experience two consecutive high tides."

Adrian: "That's hard to say. Even Professor Anthony's divination has gone wrong before. If we use the Oracle Scroll first, but the Valley of Judgment doesn't rise twice in a row, are we going to have to pay for a new scroll?"

Moreno thought it made sense, so he nodded and said nothing more.

Divination is ultimately a mortal endeavor, and even a professional divination firm like FitzRoy's can make mistakes.

The four waited for a day.

The following day, the Valley of the State of Cai rose to its expected tide.

Seeing the adventurers of level four and above entering the vicinity one after another, Adrian breathed a sigh of relief, and then took out a scroll from his storage ring, which was naturally the so-called "Oracle Transfer Scroll".

The scroll was blank, but it emitted a distinct magical aura the moment it was unfurled.

Without a doubt, this thing is extremely valuable.

Oracles can be transferred, but this is a privilege reserved only for the wealthy.

"Everyone, place your hands on it." Adrian placed his hand on the scroll first.

Gaugano, Moreno, and Charlie also placed their hands on it.

Then Adrian recited the incantation.

Once the incantation was completed, the scroll immediately burned like cotton, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into a wisp of green smoke and dissipated with the wind.

From this perspective, divine entrustment scrolls are somewhat similar to oath scrolls. This isn't surprising, given that both possess the nature of magical contracts, are essentially bound by the gods, and naturally require "reaching divine ears" to take effect.

As the scroll of divine revelation turned into blue smoke and dissipated, some information also surfaced in Gaucano's mind.

[A divine decree: Hunt down the multi-headed serpent in the Valley of Judgment...]

Without a doubt, through this scroll, a divine message from a powerful figure has been entrusted to them.

After completing their mission, they received their rewards from the powerful and wealthy, who in turn received their rewards from the gods.

Adrian: "Now, as long as any one of us takes down Hydra, we can close this deal."

Moreno said, "I can't wait. To be honest, I've never seen a live multi-headed serpent before. Have you ever?"

“No,” both Gaugano and Adrian said.

Charlie said, "I've seen it before at the Tide Hunting Grounds, but only from a distance. Back then, I hadn't even joined the Holy Knights yet; I was just an ordinary soldier. That five-headed monster terrified me."

Gaucano thought for a moment: "Adrian, the multi-headed serpent we're dealing with has four heads?"

“Three to four,” Adrian added. “According to what I know, when the Valley of Judgment last opened, it had three heads. It may still have three now, but it may also have four, so I said it’s level seven to eight.”

Charlie pondered for a moment: "If it's level seven, the four of us should be able to take it down easily, but if it's level eight, it'll be a bit dangerous."

Adrian: "So in fact, I've also prepared a 'lesser magical fellowship,' which we can use if you want to be on the safe side."

A magical fellowship is also a kind of magical contract.

Its effect is to establish connections between contracting parties, enabling them to sense each other and efficiently combine spells, thereby forming a more tacit cooperation and greatly improving team combat capabilities.

In the bards' tales, legendary hero teams from epic tales often forged "sacred magical pacts," creating permanent and profound partnerships that granted them power comparable to the gods. Although merely legend, the power of these magical pacts is evident.

While a lesser magical fellowship may not make one comparable to a god, it is certainly enough to provide considerable assistance to a level six or seven adventure party.

“A lesser magical fellowship…” Moreno hesitated, “Will you cover the costs?”

Adrian laughed: "Of course it's split equally, I'm not that rich."

(End of this chapter)