Big Sister's Personal Expert

There are several places like the Black and White Bar in Black Rock City. The Black and White Bar isn't the most famous; the most renowned and credible establishment is the Evolver Association.

The Evolver Association claims to be a civilian organization, but it has intricate ties with the government. Under the banner of "serving every Evolver," they've expanded their influence throughout the Linhua Continent. They are the largest intermediaries, amassing astonishing wealth through commissions.

Su Ze wanted to find a reliable team to make things easier at the Evolver Association. However, he worried that the Zhao Family and the mysterious organization might be monitoring the association as well. After much thought, he chose the Black and White Bar, which was less famous but relatively more discreet.

The information on the Black and White Bar's large screen scrolled too slowly. Su Ze watched for a long time but couldn't find a suitable team. He directly asked the bartender, "Are there any teams heading deep into the Black Rock Mountain Range recently?"

"There are plenty. Ever since everyone stopped accepting Drill Mouse and Water Spray Frog extracts, there's not much of value to be found in the outer areas of the Black Rock Mountain Range. To make money, you have to venture deep inside."

As the saying goes, people live off the land. The Black Rock Mountain Range supports a large number of Black Rock City's Evolvers. They often form teams to hunt exotic beasts in the mountains. Exotic beasts are treasures from head to toe, with their extracts being the most valuable. Their carcasses can also be used as medicinal materials.

Sometimes, if they're lucky, they might find rare items or discover spiritual plants in the mountains. Spiritual plants are evolved plants and precious materials for making tonics, even more valuable than regular extracts.

These Evolvers who make a living by hunting in the mountains are called Hunters.

In the Age of Evolution, hunting is a high-risk, high-reward, high-barrier-to-entry profession that only Evolvers can undertake.

The bartender handed Su Ze a tablet. "Take a look for yourself. All recent missions are on here."

Su Ze took the tablet and filtered the results, which displayed all missions recruiting team members to enter the Black Rock Mountain Range. After scrolling for a while, he found that either the teams were too weak and had no intention of going deep into the Black Rock Mountain Range, or the teams were strong but had high requirements for new members. Su Ze's strength, at the Pupal Stage, simply didn't meet the entry threshold.

He hadn't considered posting his own mission to hire some strong individuals to escort him. He had the financial means, but doing so would be like announcing, "Come kill me and take my loot!"

The people escorting him might end up being the ones who kill him. The Black Rock Mountain Range, being a wild and desolate place, is an ideal location for murder and disposal of bodies.

Therefore, the safest plan was for him to discreetly join a strong team, travel with them through the most dangerous areas, and then find an opportunity to leave the team and head to the Luofan Kingdom on his own.

The Black Rock Mountain Range, stretching from west to east, formed a natural barrier between the two countries. Su Ze needed to cross this barrier from south to north.

The outer regions of the Black Rock Mountain Range were mostly populated by Tier 1 exotic beasts, which Su Ze felt he could handle. The main concern was the inner regions, where numerous Tier 2 exotic beasts roamed. If he was unlucky, he might even encounter Tier 3 exotic beasts. Su Ze needed to find a team composed of multiple experienced Cocoon Breaking Stage experts to have a reasonable chance of safety.

After searching through all the missions, Su Ze couldn't find any that met his criteria. The teams he liked didn't like him, and the teams that liked him, he didn't like.

It seems I was thinking too simply... Su Ze sighed. If all else failed, he would have to hire a few reputable Evolvers to escort him.

Just as Su Ze was about to return the tablet, a flash of inspiration struck him. He directly searched for missions heading to the Luofan Kingdom.

He had been fixated on the idea of joining a team hunting in the Black Rock Mountain Range. If there was a team going directly to the Luofan Kingdom, wouldn't that be much more convenient?

To his surprise, he found a mission.

Su Ze carefully read the mission's content and requirements, and his eyes lit up.

This was an escort mission. The objective was to escort the employer across the Black Rock Mountain Range to the Luofan Kingdom. There were no restrictions on the number of people or their strength.

In Su Ze's opinion, this mission was tailor-made for him. He immediately suspected if it was a trap deliberately set by the Zhao Family or the mysterious organization to lure him out.

However, Su Ze quickly noticed something unusual about the mission. It was a new mission posted today, and the employer requested departure early the next morning, seeming quite urgent.

Furthermore, the mission didn't specify the reward, only stating that it was negotiable.

Most importantly, the employer clearly stated in the mission details that accepting this mission might involve life-threatening danger!

"No restrictions on strength or numbers, and it explicitly mentions life-threatening danger. It sounds like they're recruiting cannon fodder. Everyone knows the dangers within the Black Rock Mountain Range, so the employer adding this extra warning suggests the danger isn't from the mountain range itself, but from the employer. She's gotten herself into trouble!"

Su Ze hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to accept the mission. Accepting it felt like walking into an obvious trap, yet it perfectly met his needs. He could follow the main group all the way to the Luofan Kingdom, and it would be a shame to miss this opportunity.

Let's find out more first. Why overthink it?

What if I attract the Zhao Family or the mysterious organization, and it turns out to be a trap for them instead of me... Su Ze made up his mind. He got up, paid for his orange juice, and slipped a few red bills to the bartender as a tip. Then, he asked the bartender about the escort mission.

The bartender pocketed the red bills, his eyes crinkling with more crow's feet. "If you're interested in this mission, I can introduce you to the employer directly. She's a sincere lady, and you can ask her any questions you have. I believe she'll answer truthfully. But before that, you need to tell me what commission you expect."

"What's the usual commission for a Pupal Stage Evolver?" Su Ze wasn't very familiar with this and asked for more information.

"For the Pupal Stage, depending on individual strength, the daily commission typically ranges from five thousand to fifty thousand..."

"Then I'll take ten thousand."

The bartender nodded. "For a newcomer at the beginning of the Pupal Stage, that's a reasonable price. If you're confident in your abilities, you can try to negotiate a higher commission."

Su Ze shook his head. "No need. I've always been self-aware."

Whether it was five thousand or fifty thousand made no difference to Su Ze, but asking for nothing would be too strange. So, he settled for ten thousand, which seemed fitting for his early Pupal Stage strength.

If possible, Su Ze would have been willing to pay fifty million, as long as the other party could guarantee his safe arrival in the Luofan Kingdom.

Judging by Su Ze's age, the bartender guessed he was indeed at the beginning of the Pupal Stage and didn't try to persuade him further. He pointed to a secluded corner of the bar. "You're lucky. The employer is right over there. I'll take you to meet her."

Su Ze looked towards the table in the corner. Three people were sitting there. He ignored the man, and his gaze fell upon the two women opposite him.

One had exquisite features and an elegant demeanor, a gentle and intellectual type of Big Sister. The gold-rimmed glasses perched on her small nose added to her scholarly air.

The intellectual beauty appeared to be in her late twenties. Su Ze felt that at seventeen, it wasn't unreasonable to call her Big Sister.

Beside the intellectual beauty was a woman around fifty years old. The moment Su Ze saw her, he understood: this was a master!

She possessed a similar aura to Zhang Fantie and the Stinky Old Man, perhaps what is known as the aura of a master.

So, this pairing was... Big Sister and her Personal Expert?