New Mission

Thursma immediately stepped aside and gestured for Ronan to enter.

Ronan straightened his collar again, swallowed to bolster his courage, then pushed the door open and entered. After all, this was Ronan's first time meeting a true big shot, someone who controlled an entire country. Nervousness was only natural.

The moment he entered, Ronan saw two beauties, one older and one younger, sitting behind the table and looking at him. Daisy winked at Ronan, then stuck out her tongue and made a face while Serena was not paying attention.

Ronan was speechless. He did not understand any etiquette, so he could only clench his right hand into a fist, place it over his chest, and bow.

"Your Majesty the Queen, Rodrit has arrived."

Fortunately, Serena did not mind his breach of etiquette. She probably knew he did not understand such things and did not pursue the matter. Nodding, Serena motioned for Ronan to sit on the stool across from her. After he sat down, she said:

"First, I must thank you, Captain Rodrit, for safely bringing my daughter back to my side. I heard the journey was fraught with danger. Thank you for your efforts."

"It was nothing, nothing. Since I accepted the mission, I had to complete it no matter what. As a professional mercenary, I should at least have that much integrity."

"Hehe, Captain Rodrit, you have shown me what mercenaries are truly like. My previous impression was that they were mercenaries when they had jobs, and bandits when they did not."

"There are indeed many people like that, but I think they are no more than a rabble. Those who dream of gaining something for nothing may not meet a good end in the end!"

Serena nodded, seemingly agreeing with Ronan's view.

"Where is Captain Rodrit from? I heard Xibella say that you came from Calradia, but I have never heard of that place."

"Haha, I am actually from Highland. Calradia was merely a small village that was abandoned years ago after repeated bandit raids."

"Is that so? Where does Captain Rodrit plan to go next?"

"I have not really thought about that. For now, I plan to rest properly in Teldrasil for a while. Then I may return to Highland. After all, Highland is at war with the Eagles, so there should be room for someone like me to make a living."

"If you want to make money, I happen to have a good opportunity here. I wonder whether Captain Rodrit would be interested."

"Of course. I am interested in any way to make money!"

"Before that, I need to ask you a question. What do you think of Xibella?"

"Her Highness the Princess is kind-hearted, innocent, and lively. Surely no one would dislike a girl like her!"

"Not necessarily. The opportunity I mentioned is related to that as well!"

Serena paused, seeming to organize her thoughts before continuing:

"I wonder if you understand how the Sinterland throne is inherited. Sinterland is not hereditary. The Sinterland throne generally comes from one of the major elven families. When the reigning queen reaches middle age, she chooses the most renowned and capable young person among them to succeed her.

"In other words, Xibella may not necessarily take my place. I still have five years left in my term. Xibella has only just returned to Sinterland, has no supporters, and does not understand many things. Most importantly, the people still do not know her. Compared with the other current candidates, she is at a tremendous disadvantage.

"Therefore, I intend to do everything I can to prepare the way for Xibella while I remain on the throne. Even if she cannot inherit the throne, I do not want my daughter to become a mere ornament.

"Recently, there happens to be an opportunity for Xibella to earn fame. Terra City-state, Sinterland's ally in Slovakia, has been invaded by Valantis and Eredar. According to the alliance treaty, Terra hopes Sinterland can send troops to help them repel the invasion and reclaim their lost territory.

"Terra is also Sinterland's most important trading partner in Slovakia, so Sinterland does not wish to see it fall. After all, the Son of Harpy and the Snake Worshipers are not easy to reason with.

"Sinterland plans to support Terra in three waves. I hope you can lead the troops in Xibella's name during the first wave of support, achieve good results, and pave the way for Xibella!

"What do you think? Are you willing to accept?"

Ronan fell silent for a while. Serena did not press him for an answer, merely watching him with great interest. Ronan was deeply conflicted, because the system had released a mission at just the right moment.

"Chain Quest: Expedition to Slovakia (Five Stages Total)

Stage One: Successfully reach the Slovak Continent.

Reward: 1,000 experience, 20 gold coins, 10 bottles of High-Efficiency Wound Salve.

Accept mission?"

This was the first time the system had issued a chain quest. A five-stage quest would not be easy to complete, and the rewards should be correspondingly generous. After hesitating for a moment, Ronan still chose to accept it.

"But Your Majesty the Queen, I only have a little over twenty men under me. I am afraid we will not be able to play any decisive role!"

"I know. Do not forget that aside from being the Queen of Sinterland, I am also the leader of the Silver Moon Clan. I will place the 150 Silver Moon Clan soldiers in the first support force under your command. Publicly, you are to claim that you are a follower of Princess Xibella!"

"Understood, Your Majesty the Queen. I will definitely complete the mission!"

"Hmph, I knew I had not misjudged you. Dorodamenro trusts you greatly, and Belicha has also praised you highly. I hope you will not disappoint us. The first contingent will depart in three days. You will stay in the side palace for the next few days. I will not have you work for nothing. Later, Belicha will deliver the reward for this mission, along with the 100 gold coins in mercenary fees owed to you."

"You may leave now. I still have some things to say to Xibella."

Ronan bowed again, turned, and left.

"Xibella, what do you think of Rodrit?"

"Rodrit is a very responsible person with strong principles, but he seems to have many secrets. Sometimes he is impossible to see through, and some of the things he says are hard to understand."

"Those things are not important. What matters is whether you trust him." Serena gently asked as she stroked Daisy's hair.

"Yes, I trust Rodrit!"

"Good."

Meanwhile, Ronan returned to the side palace under a maid's guidance. The palace was as winding and twisting as a maze. Without the maid leading the way, Ronan probably would not have found it.

Ronan looked up at the sky. There was still a long time before nightfall, so he planned to leave the palace and sell the medicinal herbs he had bought in Ravenwood Town from his backpack. At the same time, he would look for a chance over the next few days to go out and fill his troop roster, since he would soon be taking part in a city-state war.

This battle on the Slovak Continent would be nothing like the minor skirmishes Ronan had faced before. Battles involving nearly ten thousand people might break out on the main battlefield. When the time came, tossing his small force into it would probably not even make a splash.

When Ronan accepted the mission issued by the Queen earlier, he had also unlocked his Xinteland reputation.

Unknown (0/100) (Xinteland)

To upgrade the reputation system and become famous throughout an entire country, he still had a long road ahead of him.