Navigator: I have a double six-story house

Faced with the city lord's gratitude, Su Qing's face remained expressionless.

He simply bowed slightly.

"You're too kind, City Lord."

"We were simply trying to protect ourselves."

Lord Griffin stood up and shook his head.

"Judging from the results, you all really helped Red Stone City."

"That's beyond doubt."

"As the lord of Redstone City, I am deeply grateful for everyone's help!"

Lord Griffin spoke sincerely and bowed slightly to the three of them.

Su Qing didn't say anything, she just watched the city lord perform.

He knew that the other party's invitation to meet was not simply a matter of gratitude.

No rush, let the bullets fly for a while longer.

After expressing their gratitude, Lord Griffin invited everyone to sit down and chat, and called the steward to pour tea.

Then came the praise for everyone's abilities.

A barrage of praise poured from the city lord's mouth.

Wang Yao sat next to him, his back ramrod straight. He wasn't used to this kind of occasion, but at least he maintained a facade of composure.

Except for the chair occasionally groaning under the weight of the plate armor.

Selena placed her hands on her knees, a perfectly timed smile on her face.

After a while, Lord Griffin's flattery finally stopped temporarily. He took a sip of water, cleared his throat, and prepared to continue.

Su Qing put down her teacup and, seeing that the city lord was still going in circles, promptly interrupted his spellcasting.

"Lord City Lord, we have received your thanks."

Lord Griffin's mouth remained half-open.

Su Qing's gaze fell on the broken spear in the center of the table, paused for half a second, and then calmly returned to the city lord's face.

"However, you summoned us not just to say thank you."

There was a moment of silence in the council chamber.

Lord Griffin's expression froze, the smile on his lips lasting for two seconds before finally crumbling.

He leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath, a breath that seemed to have been held back for a long time.

"It seems I can't hide it from you any longer."

He reached for the broken gun on the table, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"This is my eldest daughter's weapon."

Lord Griffin's voice turned somber.

"Arya, captain of the Redstone City patrol. Three weeks ago, she was on a routine patrol outside the city with twelve men when they were ambushed by a large number of goblins."

He paused for a moment.

"The entire team was wiped out."

As those two words were uttered, a crackling sound erupted from the fireplace. The air in the council chamber suddenly grew heavy.

"The search and rescue team searched for three days and only brought back this broken gun."

Su Qing's gaze fell on the hand holding the gun.

He noticed something crucial.

The city lord said "total annihilation," but never mentioned "finding her remains."

Without a body, death cannot be confirmed.

Su Qing did not point it out directly.

Selena listened quietly beside her, her gaze fixed on the broken end of the gun, her fingers unconsciously stroking the folds of her skirt above her knees.

"Lord of the City," Su Qing began, "please continue."

Lord Griffin placed the broken gun back on the table, the barrel striking the wooden table with a dull thud.

"The frequency of goblin attacks has quadrupled in the past three months."

He stood up and walked to the latest map on the wall, which was marked with more than a dozen points in red, densely surrounding Redstone City.

"They've changed from sporadic harassment at the beginning to coordinated ambushes now. They can now encircle, set bait, and deploy archers at a distance for cover."

His fingertip is pointing to a location in the southwest direction of the map.

"Three days ago, scouts discovered a goblin camp twenty miles outside the city."

He turned around, his gaze deep and intense.

"The scale far exceeded all of our expectations. Conservatively speaking, it's over three hundred."

"The city's guard is at full strength of 120 men, but the city's defenses cannot be withdrawn."

Lord Griffin walked back to the table and placed his hands on the edge of the table.

"I sent a letter to the lord's manor requesting assistance ten days ago."

He paused for a moment.

"No reply to date."

Su Qing's brows twitched.

If there is no reply after ten days, there are only two possibilities: either the messenger from the lord's manor has met with an accident, or the lord's manor has received the letter but has chosen not to reply.

Either way, it shows that Akaishi Castle's situation is worse than it appears on the surface.

Lord Griffin stopped beating around the bush.

"I would like to hire three men to assist the guard in annihilating the goblin stronghold outside the city."

His voice was lowered slightly.

"Regarding compensation, Akaishi City will do everything in its power to meet the three of your requests."

Su Qing did not answer immediately.

He picked up his teacup, took another sip, and then spoke.

"Besides the exact location of the camp, is there any more detailed terrain information?"

"The scout drew a simple map; I can have someone fetch it for me."

How many people can you send with you?

"We can spare thirty men from the guard team and leave ninety men on the city defense line. That's the bottom line."

"One last question," Su Qing put down her teacup, "Besides those large individuals that are over two meters tall, have you discovered any larger or more intelligent goblins?"

Lord Griffin remained silent for a few seconds.

"The scout reported that he saw one outside the camp..."

He carefully considered his choice of words.

"Something different, taller than a goblin, fully armored, with a longsword at its waist."

Su Qing made a mental note of this information.

The core boss of the Hell difficulty dungeon is most likely hidden in that camp. The answer to why goblins are becoming increasingly intelligent lies there as well.

He didn't ask the other two for their opinions; he had already made up his mind.

As the captain, he is the true helmsman.

"We accepted it."

Lord Griffin swayed slightly.

He bent down deeply, until his forehead almost touched the table.

"Thanks......"

"You're welcome." Su Qing stood up, her voice indifferent. "We're not doing charity work; we'll discuss payment later."

Lord Griffin straightened up and nodded vigorously.

His eyes were red, but he stubbornly refused to let anything else fall.

After the atmosphere eased, Lord Griffin's tone also softened a bit.

He proposed hosting a small banquet at his residence that evening, inviting several important figures from the city to attend, as a send-off for the three men.

Su Qing was about to refuse.

"Captain, when in Rome, do as the Romans do," Selena said first.

A faint metallic clanging sound came from behind.

That was Wang Yao nodding vigorously, and the parts of the plate armor rattled along with him.

His gaze towards Su Qing was filled with longing for her.

Su Qing looked at him for three seconds.

"......OK."

Lord Griffin instructed his steward to make preparations, and mentioned that formal attire was required for the banquet, and that he would send someone to deliver formal wear.

The three walked out of the council chamber.

Sunlight streamed through the skylight above the corridor, and a faint scent of plants wafted from the garden, creating a world apart from the stuffy atmosphere inside the house.

Wang Yao rubbed his hands together, strode close to Su Qing's ear, and whispered excitedly.

"Su-zai! Do you think there will be braised pork knuckle at the dinner party later?!"

Su Qing looked at Wang Yao, who was drooling, and felt a little disgusted.

"Yes, they do. If not, just ask them to bring you a serving."

"That's good, hehe!"

Su Qing didn't reply; she was thinking about something else.

The city lord said that his daughter's entire team was wiped out, but he never used the word "death" throughout the entire story.

He had a feeling that this city lord, who seemed concerned about the city's people, was hiding something from him.

This concealment is the key to this hellish difficulty dungeon.

Two hours later, the butler knocked on the door and brought in three formal dresses.

Su Qing took her own outfit, a gray-blue, narrow-necked long coat with a clean cut and no unnecessary decorations.

Wang Yao's suit was dark brown with a wide-shouldered design, clearly adjusted to fit his physique under the plate armor.

The butler turned toward Selena's door, raised his hand to knock, but the door opened from the inside.

Selena leaned out halfway, glanced at the dress in the butler's hand, waved her hand, and smiled politely and calmly.

"No need, they have their own."

She winked at Su Qing, retreated into the room, and gently closed the door behind her.

Wang Yao, holding the formal attire, stared at the closed door and muttered something suspiciously.

"Did she put a whole wardrobe inside that little pink bag?"

Su Qing looked down at the dress.

He had a feeling that tonight's banquet wouldn't be simple.