A Task with Generous Rewards

"Moran couldn't have been counting on Krantuman; he must have just been a smokescreen. Krantuman wasn't content being a puppet either, so he deliberately leaked the information and arranged for the Dragon Man to stay in his camp during our attack. I suspect he intended for us to weaken each other so he could make a comeback, but unfortunately for him, he didn't anticipate the Dragon Man dying without causing much of a stir.

There must be more Moran forces nearby. If they discover the plan was leaked, they'll very likely drop all pretenses and attack directly. We're running out of time; we need to get Daisy back to Sinterland immediately. Warren, gather your trusted subordinates and escort Daisy."

"No, sir, I want to stay and fight with you. Moreover, I have some suitable people I'd like to recommend."

"The mercenary team that killed the Dragon Man? Alright, then. Bring them to me tomorrow. I'll test them with the Mind's Eye Crystal. And we can't tell them the truth directly; we need to cover it up. You should go back and rest now, Warren, and take care of your injuries. A tough battle is coming soon."

The next morning, Ronan, having slept soundly, was woken by his subordinates. According to yesterday's plan, he was to first go to the church to collect his mission reward and then find a blacksmith shop to repair his damaged armor. After all, when recruited soldiers' equipment got damaged, he could simply pay to have it repaired by the system, but Ronan's own equipment wasn't like that.

However, as soon as he went downstairs, Ronan saw a man with white robes, blond hair, and blue eyes sitting at a table nearest to the stairs. Seeing Ronan descend, the man raised his wine glass to him. It was Knight Warren. Ronan raised an eyebrow, pondering why he was here, but didn't stop walking. After instructing his subordinates to head to the town's blacksmith shop after breakfast, he sat down opposite Knight Warren.

"Commander Warren, hello."

"Ronan, right? I've been waiting for you. Here's your reward for yesterday's mission, including an extra bonus for killing the Dragon Man."

As he spoke, he took out a money pouch from his person and placed it on the table. Judging by its size, the amount was likely substantial. After accepting the pouch, Ronan asked, "Lord Warren, you came so early to wait for me. You can't possibly be just here to deliver money, can you? I don't think I have that much influence."

"Haha, I also wanted to thank you for helping us kill that Dragon Man yesterday; otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble would have erupted. Additionally, the Bishop heard about your deeds and wishes to meet you. There will be a celebration banquet at the church this noon. Please don't be late!"

Warren winked at Ronan, downed the wine in his glass, and then walked out of the tavern.

Ronan sat there for a moment, then chuckled, shook his head, and moved towards his subordinates to start breakfast. Today's tavern breakfast consisted of pies, milk, and some sausages. After finishing his meal, Ronan had a few subordinates carry the boxes containing his armor and set off.

By continuously inquiring around town, Ronan and his companions finally found the town's only blacksmith shop. It was a large establishment, as all the town's weapons, armor, and farming tools came from here. Upon entering, the first thing they saw was a room of about 40 square meters, with various weapon and armor samples hanging on all four walls. Directly opposite the entrance was a small table, behind which a young boy was dozing off.

Walking up to the table and tapping it with his hand, the boy, just like Ronan in his past life being caught sleeping in class by the teacher, jolted to his feet. After seeing who was in front of him, he finally relaxed.

"Hello, customer. I thought it was my dad coming to check up on me. We deal in weapons, armor, farming tools, and daily metal products. If you want to sell weapons, the samples are all hanging on the walls around here. We also have plenty of stock for direct pickup. Of course, you can also leave blueprints to order custom weapons, but our blacksmith has to look at them first to determine if it's possible, and you'll need to pay a deposit. What service do you need?"

Ronan smiled and said, "When I was lazy, I was most afraid of being caught. I'd like to get my equipment repaired. The items are here; please take a look and tell me how long it will take and how much it will cost." Ronan then had his subordinates open the boxes, revealing the Guardian Armor and Dianfu Katana.

The boy came out from behind the table, squatted down, and examined the damaged areas before saying, "The area of damage on your items isn't large, and this sword only needs its blade repaired. You can pick them up around noon tomorrow. Repairing this kind of armor is quite expensive; it will be two gold coins in total, and you need to pay a one-gold-coin deposit first."

"Alright, I'll pick them up tomorrow." Ronan took out one gold coin from his pouch and handed it to the boy. Ronan was considered wealthy now; the money pouch Knight Warren had given him that morning contained the mission reward plus an extra thirty gold coins, making Ronan marvel at how rich Ravenwood Town truly was.

Ronan also bought a set of light metal armor there, intending to wear it for daily use. After all, the Guardian Armor was too heavy and inconvenient to wear. Ronan couldn't wear it for every mission. This set of light armor had a soft leather lining inside and was inlaid with a layer of iron on the outside.

It was comfortable to wear and not heavy. The helmet was a rounded nasal helm, and Ronan also put on the large-mouthed mask that came with the Wisteria Wood Armor. The shoulders only had a layer of iron padding on top, which didn't hinder arm movement. The forearms were fitted with rather heavy iron bracers that could be used for blocking if necessary. The chest and back were connected by iron chains to two pieces of iron armor, the waist had a protective belt with stab-proof plates, and the lower body had a soft leather apron inlaid with iron and metal boots and greaves.

This set of armor provided excellent protection in key areas, but the joints were left unarmored to avoid hindering flexibility. With this armor on, Ronan could once again skillfully use the Great Serpent's combat techniques. However, without iron gauntlets, some greatsword techniques couldn't be used.

This set of armor cost Ronan a full five gold coins. Ronan was truly flush with cash now; if it were when he first arrived in Ravenwood Town, he would have agonished over it for a long time.

At noon, Ronan changed into a decent outfit made of good quality fabric that he had just bought, preparing to attend the Bishop's celebration banquet. Ronan went alone, without bringing any subordinates.

Entering the church, he walked through the long prayer hall, entered the center of the church through a side door, and then, guided by a nun, navigated through a winding maze-like complex of buildings. Ronan finally arrived at the hall the Bishop used for receiving guests.

Contrary to Ronan's expectations, he thought the Bishop would invite other mercenary group leaders besides him. However, that wasn't the case. At the long table in the center of the hall sat only Knight Warren and those Shadow Garrison knights. At the head seat sat a blue-haired, blue-eyed elf with a delicate and beautiful face.