CHAPTER 534: CHAPTER 283: LEAVE IF YOU MUST, BUT PAY UP!

Barnes Village, Task Center.

Early in the morning, a good number of mercenaries had returned from Hope Village, each with a look of excitement on their faces.

As soon as they emerged, they were instantly surrounded by a crowd of people.

"How is it? What’s Hope Village like?"

"Is it really like what those merchant teams have said?"

"How are those who went there earlier doing?"

"Are the goods really that cheap?"

"..."

Question after question popped up, clearly showing that the residents of Barnes Village were indeed curious about the existence of Hope Village.

The earliest teams from Hope Village had been to Barnes Village and took away quite a few teams and individuals. At the time, many people did not leave because of the hot weather, and those who followed them later basically did not come back. However, merchant teams would return from time to time.

From the merchants, they learned that Hope Village was a good place. Gradually, some people left, but compared to the population of Barnes Village, it wasn’t much.

After all, many people’s fixed assets were tied to Barnes Village, and it was quite difficult for them to give up and move elsewhere.

Since they could buy items from Hope Village, they saw no reason to force themselves to go there.

However, the impression of Hope Village among the residents of Barnes Village kept deepening, as more and more goods were transported from there, and they became tastier, especially the various kinds of ingredients that had become an indispensable part of their lives.

Those who were paying attention naturally knew about the recent sudden promotion of Hope Village by over a thousand ranks.

Such a change in rank had thrust it into the middle echelons of 3rd level villages—an achievement to take pride in.

Not to mention, news spread by merchant teams two days ago stated that Hope Village’s school had started classes. Any child over six could enter, regardless of their talents, and the curriculum covered many professions, starting the cultivation of skills proficiency from a young age.

Many capable professionals would also train their next generation, but the issue was that the direction they trained in wasn’t necessarily suitable for their descendants.

Under such circumstances, many people opted for becoming mercenaries because, for most professionals, this was a direction achievable through hard work and could provide for themselves.

By comparison, the school in Hope Village could completely solve this issue for normal professionals.

With all these conditions, Hope Village was like a dream territory for ordinary people and professionals alike.

This made many who hadn’t experienced Hope Village feel somewhat regretful; had they known, they should have gone there earlier.

Before they could dwell on the idea for a few days, Hope Village suddenly opened vacation tasks, and as long as they were mercenaries, they could go.

That same day, a large number of mercenaries flocked to Hope Village through the Task Center.

And to date, the mercenaries who went to Hope Village haven’t returned, not even the ones who left later.

Thus, those who came back today were the first batch to return.

Those who hadn’t had the chance to go, or couldn’t due to not having a mercenary identity, were keen to learn more from these returnees; at least it would prepare them for a visit to Hope Village.

So, this group of jubilant mercenaries returning home found themselves cornered inside the Task Center.

Startled by the sudden encirclement, they were taken aback. But after listening to the questions and understanding the purpose, they calmed down and eagerly responded.

"Hope Village is really great; everything they said before about coming back was true!"

"The goods over there are indeed much cheaper; many items are only sixty to seventy percent of the price in Barnes Village."

"Those who went before us are living so charmingly! Anyway, they have no thoughts of coming back to Barnes Village."

"Remember Locke? He was the captain of our Territory Mercenary Team before, and now he’s become an official working in the Lord Mansion in Hope Village!"

"And others as well, some working in the factory, others opening their own shops. Anyway, everyone I asked felt that it was better living in Hope Village."

"The most important thing is the school. Indeed, as long as they are of age, it involves courses in Body Skills, basic explanations of Magic, Blacksmith, Carpenter, Tailor, Ore Identification, Medical Skill, and so on, as well as some courses in language, math, science, which I don’t know much about but seem pretty good. Recently, they added Building. The earliest classes are large ones, and later it’s personalized based on their talent, eventually transitioning to smaller class learning, and by then they’ll be considered apprentices. Speaking of which, you all know how much it costs to be an apprentice to certain special professions, right?"