Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 27 A Little Mercenary Hires Another Little Mercenary

After finishing their business, seeing that Chen Mo was in a good mood, the one-eyed boss suddenly slapped Xiao Qiaoxi's shoulder with his large, fan-like hand. The force was so great that the bronze-patterned warrior staggered and knelt on one knee.

"This child is young and doesn't know any better, he's caused you trouble. What do you think we should do?"

This posture and these words seem to suggest that the person is willing to be dealt with, yet they also carry a hint of pleading.

Little Josie's father used to be a mercenary in One-Eyed Boss's team, and he risked his life to take a knife for One-Eyed Boss.

If it weren't for the help of these old brothers, given the state of Little Josie's family, how could she have grown into a bronze-patterned warrior so quickly?

Even if you have some talent, learning martial arts or magic will cost a lot of money!

Chen Mo waved his hand casually: "It's nothing, it's nothing. My skeleton falls down three or five times every day, doesn't it?"

The one-eyed boss immediately slapped little Josh on the head: "Did you hear that?! Hurry up and thank the master for his kindness!"

One-Eyed made the still-shaken Josh kowtow several times, then kicked him aside in annoyance. He then picked up the package filled with weapons, armor pieces, and other miscellaneous items that the waiter had just repacked.

“By the way,” Chen Mo tapped the pile of “junk” with his chin, “Luke once told me that his friend has a wide network of connections, unconventional methods, and many ways to get things done in the White Rock City area. I actually have a few things I would like to ask him.”

"Firstly, it's inconvenient for me to carry this pile of odds and ends around. Could you please find someone to help me get rid of it? I don't mind if the price is low."

"Secondly, after obtaining my mercenary status, I plan to go to the mage tower in the Beilu River area to study. I wonder if you two could help me find a guide."

The one-eyed boss thumped his chest loudly: "Hey, this little thing, leave it to me!"

The two friends Luke introduced were quite reliable; by the end of the day, Chen Mo's problem was basically resolved perfectly.

Chen Mo had actually been keeping a complete set of mercenary badges from the Mountain Vine Squad. At first, he thought they were just some inconspicuous pieces of iron, but he soon realized that he was very wrong. They were clearly exquisite items containing magic.

Old John, limping along, skillfully led Chen Mo through the Mercenary Guild, completing the entire process of submitting documents, verifying identity, paying fees, and getting certified and stamped, finally stopping at the stamping window in the corner of the hall.

Um—or should it be called by its full name, the window for creating mercenary badges.

An alchemist sat inside the window, his right eye fitted with a lens as thick as the bottom of a bottle, his body hunched over.

He slowly took the identity document covered in stamps, examined it repeatedly for a long time while holding his glasses, and then slowly took off his glasses. His cloudy gaze swept over the windowsill, carefully scanning Chen Mo from head to toe and then from toe to head several times.

"You old rat," the alchemist said, his tone half-teasing and half-warning, "you've already shoved six greenhorns into your lap this month! Do you really think the Mercenary Guild is your private property?"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Old John impatiently tapped the wooden window frame with his middle finger knuckle, making a thumping sound. "I'm here to get you some business! If no one registers, where are you going to collect the processing fees?"

"Besides, without mercenaries, there's no one to do the work; without work, there's no commission; without commission, what will happen to the hundreds of people in the guild?"

"You know nothing!"

The alchemist pursed his lips in dissatisfaction, muttered a mumbled phrase in a local dialect, and put the heavy single-lens repositioned.

Carefully scooping out the spellcasting materials from several earthenware jars on the corner of the table: a silver powder shimmering with a faint light, a few dark brown crystals, and a clump of indigo moss that seemed to wriggle slightly as if alive. Poor apprentice Chen Mo didn't recognize any of them.

The alchemist precisely sprinkled the materials into an engraved oval magic symbol on the table, then placed a metal plate in the very center of the oval, took out a small hammer about the length of a finger, and began to hammer and chisel. A dozen minutes later, a brand-new badge, still warm to the touch, was pushed out.

Old John took the badge and led Chen Mo to the center of the hall.

Standing there was a magic marble, about half a person's height, with a surface as smooth as a mirror. Old John gestured for Chen Mo to place the badge into a shallow groove at the bottom of the marble. A flash of light appeared, and the surface of the marble rippled like water, clearly revealing several lines of text:

Mercenary's name: Chen Mo

Mercenary Level: Level 0

Registered Union: Xiyue Federal White Stone City Branch
Available quests: None
Level 0 mercenary, no missions available.

Although Chen Mo didn't plan to make a living as a mercenary, he couldn't help but wonder: "If I can't take on missions, how do I level up my mercenary rank?"

“Two paths,” Old John explained in detail as he threaded a sturdy leather cord through the unranked badge and handed it to Chen Mo. “Either you take a proper professional qualification exam—warrior, mage, archer, anything will do. The guild has the corresponding rules that can help you advance your mercenary rank.”

"Or, find a mercenary group to join, start with the hardest and most tiring jobs, work your way up the ranks, and accumulate experience."

The old man pulled a badge from his collar, gently stroking it with his rough fingers, his voice low and deep: "This is the old trick of the guild and mercenary group to exploit newcomers. What can we do? In this year... the harvest in the fields can't even fill our stomachs. Many farmers can't keep their ancestral lands. They either go to the mines to work as laborers or plunge headlong into this dangerous business like this."

The two walked out of the Mercenary Guild's grand gate and down the wide bluestone steps, where the slightly hot afternoon air rushed towards them.

Old John led the way from the side, leaning slightly forward as he continued to ramble on: "The One-Eyed Hedgehog Tavern used to sell Blue Serpent Wine for three copper coins a bottle, but now even Black Serpent Wine, which costs one copper coin for two bottles, is selling like hotcakes. Everyone's life is... tight!"

"And so, mercenaries from Mirror Lake and the Emerald Kingdom in the forest are still running this way, not going back even for the lowest possible pay."

The old man paused, then looked up at the distant, hazy horizon: "They say mercenaries have a nose even sharper than hyenas. I think war is just a matter of time."

Chen Mo felt a chill run down his spine.

War, even on a modern planet like Earth, has never been far removed from human life. The reason he was able to study peacefully back then was simply because he had the protection of a powerful nation.

Now, although the country is still protecting them, they are ultimately unaware that they are billions of light-years away, separated by countless stars.

A wave of anxiety and urgency washed over me once again.

Back at the familiar porch of the "One-Eyed Old Hedgehog" tavern, the one-eyed owner was already waiting there, with two young figures standing in the shadows behind him.

Seeing Chen Mo return, the one-eyed man came forward and handed him a heavy money bag tied with a leather rope. "The items you entrusted to me yesterday have all been sold through trustworthy and discreet shops. Here's the money, please take a look!"

Chen Mo took the money pouch, didn't even look at it, and casually stuffed it into the newly sewn sturdy leather pouch on Xiao Bai's back, vaguely hearing the soft clatter of the coins.

"Also, I brought two guides with me, please take a look."

The one-eyed man stepped aside, making way for the two young men behind him, and gave them a brief introduction.

Chen Mo glanced at the two of them and thought, "Wow, there's another 'acquaintance' here. Isn't that the bronze-patterned warrior, Josie, the clumsy little guy from the tavern yesterday?"
(End of this chapter)