Gentleman Hall

Gentleman Hall

Everyone sat quietly on the benches coated in brown paint.

Edmund took out the pocket watch engraved with the family's winged emblem from between the lining of his pocket,

"Things are moving a little slowly today... Is it because William joined the team? Normally, the mission list arrives within ten minutes, but it's been nearly half an hour today."

At the edge of the seat, Julianna, her face veiled in black and her hands resting lightly on her legs, said casually:

"William is carrying out a mission for the first time in half a year due to special circumstances. He has also met the First Gentleman, so it's difficult to assess his strength. Perhaps the people above are discussing it."

"That makes sense.

Usually, anyone capable of scoring over ninety-five points will frantically grind missions whenever they have the time... It's rare for someone to take half a year off. Let's wait a little longer."

It was not until forty minutes had passed

that a middle-aged man in a black tailcoat, white bow tie, and tilted top hat came before them.

His sunken cheeks and protruding cheekbones gave him a naturally stern air,

and he wore a badge on his chest symbolizing his special status.

"Supervisor!"

Well-informed Edmund recognized the position represented by the badge at a glance. This man was one of the supervisors of Gentleman Hall, mainly responsible for handling troublesome matters from above and communicating with high-ranking gentlemen, Doctors, and other powerful figures. He rarely appeared in the lower districts.

The other man did not reply,

but fixed his gaze on Yi Chen, looking him up and down.

He had come down specifically to see what the recipient of the "First Gentleman" looked like and why he had needed half a year of recuperation.

After observing him for a while,

aside from the unknown pet concealed within his shoulder and the "emblem" that was not displayed externally,

he could only come up with two words—ordinary.

Compared with the prodigies who had met the First Gentleman soon after arriving in Zion, he had neither wildness nor any particularly outstanding traits... Judging solely by appearances, the other three, Edmund and the others, seemed more impressive.

"Taking your team's circumstances into objective consideration, I've personally raised the difficulty slightly and selected three missions.

The list is here. Choose for yourselves.

If you think the three missions on the list are unsuitable, I can replace them with another batch. Of course, the difficulty won't change much."

"All right."

After handing over the envelope, the supervisor showed no intention of leaving.

He simply sat on the adjacent bench, waiting for their decision... At the same time, he gestured that there was no need to hurry and that he had plenty of time.

The envelope was opened,

and three exquisite letters made of parchment were taken out.

1. Ghost Village Sacrifice

Event location: The jungle southeast of Herwin Valley (72 km from Zion)

Disease Infection detection: Confirmed Disease Infection (100%)

*Category: Mental mutation

Requirements: Enter the primitive village and determine the source of the Disease Infection. Effectively seal off the area, and Purge the source and all villagers without exception.

Difficulty (per person): ★★★☆

Special reminder: There is a high possibility of Severe Diseased individuals among the villagers, and a very small possibility of Patient Zero.

*Patient Zero are extremely rare Sick Ones. Although they have been infected by Disease Infection, once they reach the "Sick One" stage, they can completely escape all control from the pathogenic entity and possess absolute independence.

If you encounter and confirm a Patient Zero during the mission, persuade them if possible and bring them back to Zion, or to the nearest clinic or Cemetery.

Basic rewards: Several Silver Coins, a 20 cm × 20 cm piece of Gentleman's Skin possessing the aura of the Old World, and +1 mission point (high quality).

*Depending on the degree of completion, the discovery of additional clues, and so on, additional rewards may be granted.

*If twenty percent or more of the villagers escape, the mission will be deemed a failure.

2. Apartment Building Suspected of Mutation

Event location: Dexterton City (103 km from Zion)

*Briefing: According to information sent back by the local investigator, an apartment building at 73 Lycan Street has frequently experienced tenant disappearances—eleven in total. After investigating through conventional means, the investigator found nothing abnormal.

Disease Infection detection: None found so far (possibly deeply concealed, with the Pathogen currently in a latent growth stage)

Requirements: Assist Gentleman investigator Lambert Chenovi in determining the reason for the disappearances in the apartment building.

Difficulty (per person): ?? (The difficulty cannot be assessed until the presence, level, and category of a Pathogen are confirmed.)

*If a hidden Pathogen is discovered, act according to Investigator Lambert's judgment of the incident: exterminate it, request organizational support, or evacuate immediately.

Special reminder: The difficulty of this mission cannot be assessed. There is a possibility that the apartment building itself is the Pathogen, making this dangerous. Please carefully consider whether to accept the mission.

Reward: To be determined provisionally based on the final investigation and the outcome of handling the incident.

3. Secret Medicine Recovery

Event location: Vinal City (approximately 51 km from Zion)

Briefing: Two months ago, Vinal City suffered the "False Moon Incident," causing more than ninety percent of the city's residents to die outright. The entire city was paralyzed and ultimately reduced to ruins.

The Twilight Clinic, built on the outskirts of the city, was also severely affected and had recently been forced to close.

One week ago,

a Gentleman Squad within the organization responsible for recovery work went to the Twilight Clinic to carry out "Secret Medicine Recovery."

Because the information provided by the clinic was inaccurate, a subsequent manual check revealed that one bottle of secret medicine had not been recovered.

Disease Infection detection: There is a small possibility that remnants of the Disease Infection from the "False Moon Incident" remain.

*The pathogenic entity that caused the False Moon Incident was completely slain by gentlemen of the organization. There is no need to worry.

Requirements:

1. Go to the Twilight Clinic and recover the missing secret medicine.

2. If the secret medicine cannot be found, use the Polaroid camera issued by the organization to photograph every corner of the clinic and obtain evidence that the secret medicine may have been taken.

Difficulty (per person): ★★★+? (It is impossible to determine whether the remnants of the False Moon Incident might undergo rapid growth. The difficulty may exceed three stars.)

Special reminder: After confirming that you have accepted this mission, you may apply to view some information about the "False Moon Incident."

Basic rewards: Several Silver Coins, a 20 cm × 20 cm piece of Gentleman's Skin possessing the aura of the Old World, and +1 mission point (high quality).

*Depending on the degree of completion, the discovery of additional clues, and so on, additional rewards may be granted.

*If the bottle of secret medicine is brought back, each person may receive one or more drops of Source Fluid from the secret medicine, depending on the quality of their performance.

Edmund's scalp prickled as he read the three missions.

Each one was more unpredictable than the last. Aside from the first mission, whose difficulty was relatively stable, the difficulty of the other two could change.

The most difficult mission they had accepted before had only been two and a half stars... During one mission, they had encountered an unexpected danger that nearly resulted in Dagobert permanently losing the use of an arm. After returning, everyone had needed half a month to recuperate.

Of course,

after half a year of study and practical combat, all three of them had improved, and their squad now also included Yi Chen, the recipient of the "First Gentleman."

Taking on a three-star or three-and-a-half-star mission was still reasonable.

Julianna, who rarely spoke, suddenly suggested in a low voice:

"Captain... Should we consider the third mission? Missions related to secret medicine appear extremely rarely. They're rare missions that only high-ranking gentlemen can come into contact with.

According to the briefing, since the recovery team visited a week ago, they must have also cleaned up the clinic while recovering the secret medicine.

If we can obtain Source Fluid from the secret medicine ahead of time through this mission, it will certainly benefit our subsequent advancement in rank."

"We still don't know what type of secret medicine it is, and the 'False Moon Incident' may well involve something ancient... I'm not in a position to decide.

William, what do you think?"

Yi Chen gave a simple reply: "I feel more or less the same as Julianna. There are both benefits and risks."

"All right~ Even if we ask the supervisor to replace it, the difficulty probably won't be much different. This mission also happens to be relatively close. If we're lucky enough, perhaps we can bring the secret medicine back in a single day.

However, I have one personal request.

Let's officially carry out this mission tomorrow or the day after.

This is our first time facing a three-star mission, or even one of higher difficulty. We need to make comprehensive preparations before setting out."

"Mm."