CHAPTER 793: TASKS

"So, what are we supposed to do now?" Kanaria asked. "There’s no instruction or whatever. Clovis is still out of contact."

"I don’t know." Melody shook her head.

"Since there are no other instructions, I will go shopping for the time being." Aileen glanced at Erwin.

Erwin grinned. "Isn’t there a word you need to say?"

"Come with me, please, darling."

"It can’t be helped." Erwin stood up.

"Wait a moment." Vina abruptly stood up. "I have found a clue."

"A clue?" Kanaria frowned.

"Yes, look at this." Vina projected her screen so that everyone could see. It was a recording of the city from the sky.

"Why are you showing this?" Kanaria crossed her arms.

"So, that’s how it is." Melody looked like she was the only one who had managed to catch the clue. "Puzzle games?"

"Puzzle?"

"Yes." Vina nodded. "This is a puzzle game. If you look at this recording, it shows three characters. E, A, and S."

"And what do these characters mean?"

"I am not entirely sure. To become the owner of the Dark Moon Mercenary, the successor is required to have three things: strength, mind, and connection. They are divided into three branches: the Blue Diamond Group, the Dark Emerald Group, and the Red Ruby Group.

"Blue Diamond Group is a security company that works on the surface. They are the strongest in terms of strength. It can be said that they are the swords of the Dark Moon Mercenary.

"Dark Emerald Group holds the information network of the Dark Moon Mercenary, which is currently under my control. We are practically the brain of the mercenary group.

"Last but not least, Red Ruby Group. If there is anyone who can negotiate and make even more connections, it will be them. Although they are not as big as top companies, they have controlled the finances of the mercenary group.

"Right now, our opponent is the Red Ruby Group. They have a connection to the Three Swords. Do you know why I chose you guys for this successor battle?

"That is because I believe you guys are the strongest under Tier 8. I believe in your growth. There is a condition during the successor battle. We are forbidden from moving a Tier 8 human in our group or outside the group.

"Hence, we’ll be fighting the successor of the Three Swords from the looks of it. And the one who will be our opponent is none other than a woman called Stefany Rashia. Stefany might be talented in business, but she doesn’t have the power to fight. Still, she is someone who is willing to do anything to achieve her goal.

"Our leader will be giving tasks for the successor battle. We have to decipher the code and figure out what he is trying to say.

"This is what I mean by having three qualities. Although all three successors have been placed in the group they excel the most, they need to figure out the tasks because they require connection, strength, and mind.

"And this E, A, and S must be the code that has to be solved by our minds. Then, the second code and third code have to be solved with strength and connection."

"I see. So, we have to solve the first code as quickly as possible to take the initiative?" Kanaria looked up, contemplating.

"Yes."

"E, A, and S. It might be an abbreviation. That’s the only way to tell you something unless there are more clues." Jay looked down, unable to figure out anything.

"E stands for Explosion?" Luci tilted her head in confusion.

"Have your brain cells disappeared after tackling such a hard challenge, Luci?" Melody sighed.

"Huh? Why are you insulting me?"

"Because this is what E and A mean, no?" Melody projected her screen this time. It was a familiar building in this city. And underneath the picture, it was there they understood the meaning of those two characters.

"Explorer Association?!"

"Ah!" Vina gasped. "Don’t tell me, the S is..."

"You probably guessed it correctly." Melody opened the next tab. It was the structure of the explorer association in this city.

"Salvatore Lee. The Explorer Association President of this country." As she expected, it was truly that person.

"So, will he give us the mission? No, judging from the puzzle, it looks like we have to find him? This shows ’connection.’" Kanaria frowned before turning to Hana.

"Why are you looking at me?" Hana tilted her head in confusion. "Well, I can probably try to have a meeting with him. I guess I’m the only one who can somehow meet him.

"Let’s see. Setting up a direct meeting will be impossible without a big reason. If this is a test, the association president might deliberately not want to meet us.

"What if I bring up the topic for my new branch? But this is for the government, not the exploration association.

"Throwing my money away? This doesn’t sound good... How am I supposed to meet him?" Hana crossed her arms. "I don’t have a base in this country, so I can’t easily meet someone like him."

"I see. Connection, huh? If it’s the Three Swords, one of the top influences in this country, it will be easy for them to meet the president." Jay crossed his arms. "If Hana doesn’t have the connection to meet them, how are we supposed to meet him?"

"Well, I can try to use the president of this country or any high-ranking government official to meet him." Hana sighed. "If that’s the case, we have no choice but to wait for two more days. That’s the day I will have a meeting with the Health Minister of this country."

"I guess we have no choice but to follow the arrangement." Vina scratched the back. "Unfortunately, I can’t do anything here."

"Well, we will carry you in this task. You can repay us when you take over the Dark Moon Mercenary." Hana grinned.

"Please go easy on me." Vina smiled wryly.

"Don’t worry. Clovis is the only person I will suck dry, no one else." Hana smiled. "So, who will accompany me to this meeting? Let’s see... I will bring two people with me."

"I should go since I’m the one responsible for the successor battle." Vina raised one hand.

It would have been better if Clovis had been here, but it looked like they needed someone to represent them.

"I guess I have no choice but to step up." Jay, the vice captain, volunteered.