CHAPTER 338: CHAPTER 58: FIVE SAINTS TOWN

Five Saints Town is a very special town, not only because it is a town frequented solely by mercenaries and adventurers, but also because its nights are always more bustling than its days, with shops that open only after dark.

During the day, mercenaries with their packs on their backs enter the rolling and heavily forested mountains, often not returning for days or even half a month.

At night, the mercenaries, whether empty-handed or laden with spoils, with varying expressions, appear in the town’s taverns and shops, where the smell of alcohol, low-quality tobacco, and the makeup on prostitutes is all too common.

As for the early mornings, they are usually the quietest times, with only a few places in town where one can hear people, including the Five Saints Mercenary Guild.

On this particular morning, before the Five Saints Mercenary Guild had opened its doors, there was a knocking sound.

"Knock knock knock," upon hearing the noise, Lady Luo Lin, responsible for the guild’s day-to-day reception, knew it must be a visitor.

Never expect mercenaries to knock politely, those whose very pores ooze with vulgarity certainly don’t have the patience for knocking.

Lady Luo Lin opened the door and saw under the dawn light, two guests dressed in white windproof cloaks standing at the entrance.

Despite the bulky cloaks, one could vaguely make out two tall and slender figures, indicating they were female guests.

"Is this the Five Saints Mercenary Guild? My mistress wishes to hire a mercenary," began the guest who was following behind, her voice clear and articulate, with a hint of pride, as she uncovered her cloak revealing an exquisite robe and a somewhat arrogant face.

The robe was finely made, every thread seeming to be woven with fine gold silk and bird feathers, clearly expensive. Although such attire was more for show than practical use in the Xuan Beast Ridge, it allowed the guild’s receptionist, Luo Lin, to approximately guess the visitor’s identity.

Logically, those who step out in such ornate robes must be nobility, who would usually travel by carriage with many servants, definitely not alone.

Being located at the very heart of the Xuan Beast Ridge and surrounded by mountain ranges, Five Saints Town is encircled by mountains reaching heights of five to six hundred feet.

To enter Five Saints Town, one must cross mountains whether coming from Shang Kingdom or setting out from the Dragon War Empire.

Yet these two female guests arrived alone, and their robes were spotless and intact, hardly the appearance of having traveled a long distance.

Considering this, Lady Luo Lin put away her slight disrespect, invited both guests in with courtesy, and served them freshly brewed tea.

In every part of the continent, the appearance of the Mercenary Guild is about the same, with a reception desk over half a meter long, and a mission board the size of a blackboard with various missions of different ranks and colors posted on it.

The specific details of the missions are not listed on the board, but mercenaries of the corresponding ranks can inquire about them from Lady Luo Lin.

The guest who spoke first took a sip of the tea, while her companion, who entered with her, silently observed the interior of the guild without touching the steaming cup of tea.

"Ladies, please tell me the specifics of your commission so that I can recommend suitable mercenaries to undertake the task based on its difficulty," said Luo Lin, knowing each Mercenary Guild kept a detailed registry of local mercenaries, listing their names and basic information.

Recommending the right mercenaries to the right clients and earning a referral fee is also a moneymaking model for the Mercenary Guilds.

"We need a Five-star Mercenary to accompany us to Kalan Peak and search for Jiao Long’s Skeleton," said one of the women impatiently, pushing away the manual Luo Lin handed over.

A Five-star Mercenary?

Lady Luo Lin felt helpless about the demands of the two women who came in early morning. Some people always think that having money makes them as powerful as a ’God’.

One must realize that on the continent, the gap between a One-star novice mercenary and a Five-star Mercenary may look like just four stars, but it represents the effort of more than a decade, sometimes even a lifetime.

"Ladies, there aren’t many Five-star Mercenaries on the continent to begin with. Excluding the Mercenary King and Mercenary Strongmen, the number of Five-star Mercenaries registered with the various Mercenary Guilds would not exceed three," said Luo Lin. A Five-star Mercenary’s strength is at least that of a Dark Heavenly Master.

Those in the Heavenly Dark Realm are either leading their own Mercenary Groups or commanding Mercenary Teams, serving as guards for Empires and counties, easily earning hundreds of thousands to millions of Dark Pills a year. Who would bother risking their lives licking blood off the Sword’s edge in the Xuan Beast Ridge?

Besides, these two women just mentioned they were going to Kalan Peak looking for the skeleton of an Evil Jiao.

The story of the Evil Jiao of Kalan Peak has been a thousand-year-old legend. Not to mention the Jiao has been dead for a long time, a place like Kalan Peak hasn’t seen any Jiaos for ages.

These ladies from the city, when idle, do things without much thinking; they must be full, got nothing better to do, and listened to some legendary tale, wanting to go on an adventure for excitement.

"What do you mean by this? Are you saying that the prestigious Five Saints Mercenary Union doesn’t have a single competent mercenary?" The woman glared at Luo Lin, thinking she was being deliberately difficult.

Tsk, Luo Lin glanced at the other woman who hadn’t said a word, feeling disdainful inside. However, as a qualified receptionist, she still wore a smile: "Ladies, of course we have Five-star Mercenaries. Li Rui, Wei Zimin, and Darren are all Five-star Mercenaries. It’s just very unfortunate that Wei Zimin and Darren are both on missions and not in town. As for Mr. Li Rui..."

"Then it’s him," the woman interrupted without hesitation, demanding Li Rui. She thought to herself, the young lady had initially wished for the Divine Son to accompany her to Kalan Peak in search of the Demon Pattern of the Jiao Clan.

However, the Divine Son did not appreciate her favor and excused himself due to affairs in the palace, suggesting his personal guard Song Mu as company instead.

Out of anger, the lady left the palace-appointed protectors behind, bringing only herself to Five Saints Town. With her outstanding appearance and status, she definitely needed a powerful Five-star Mercenary to accompany her.

"This," Luo Lin couldn’t help but give a wry smile, "I do not wish to hide from the ladies, that mercenary above Five-star do not operate under the restraint of the Mercenary Guild. If the ladies wish to commission a task, you’ll still need the consent of the Five-star Mercenary Mr. Li Rui. Mr. Li Rui will be returning to the Mercenary Guild shortly to report a task he has just completed. Please wait for a moment."

While she was speaking, several people entered from outside. The leader, who seemed familiar with Lady Luo Lin, had barely entered the room when he declared loudly: "Miss Luo Lin, old man Batesin has come to trouble you. On behalf of our Lord, I want to hire some highly capable mercenaries."