Commission

"Uh, well, this esteemed sir, let's talk this out calmly—this is, after all, the Mercenary Hall, and we should be reasonable."

The bare-armed man who had been itching to finish this easy money task swallowed hard as he looked at the marks on the floor, his face instantly shifting into a fawning expression as he rubbed his hands together.

This rapid change in expression reminded Xuan Ye of the uncle's exaggerated face when he first met the Dream Island group. His eyes dimmed slightly as he eased his tone and spoke.

"He stole something my deceased comrade had stored here."

Gude, already thoroughly intimidated by Xuan Ye's combat prowess, had no chance to stop him from speaking. He had been pressing hard and refusing to give the other party a chance precisely to avoid this matter being exposed, but now it was clearly too late to prevent it, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead again.

Impossible!

How could he be a Professional Rank Expert! His experience reading people was quite refined, and the other party was clearly a young man! And carrying a broken bow at that!

A guy like that at Professional Rank? Utterly ridiculous!

Yet the facts were right before him. Everything had been going smoothly, unfolding exactly as he had anticipated. He was about to corner the opponent, but instead, the other party had violently overturned the chessboard. What kind of misfortune was this!

He had investigated everything thoroughly during this time! That was a lone Professional Rank Expert! His only close connections were lowly scavengers from the Scavenger Squad!

It should have been foolproof! So why had a Professional Expert suddenly appeared out of nowhere!

Regardless of Gude's inner thoughts, the mercenaries in the hall, after first being stunned by the opponent's strength and then 'calming down,' heard these words and immediately changed their expressions.

If they had initially been watching with amusement and a teasing attitude, even after a Professional Rank Expert appeared, now it was a matter that directly affected their own interests!

"Hey, Gude, is what he said true?"

"Huh? Misappropriating stored items?"

"Really?"

"Damn it, !@#&...#"

"Then what about the stuff I stored?"

"..."

With just one sentence, Xuan Ye had stirred up a hornet's nest. If he had been an ordinary scavenger, his words would have carried little weight and caused no major impact. But after displaying the formidable strength of a Professional Rank Expert, saying such things naturally made many people inclined to believe him!

Could the words of a Professional Rank adult be false?

Just as when Gude had initially shown an attitude of having the upper hand, even if it caused a bit of trouble, he believed he could handle it—just the nonsense of a lowly commoner.

But now, the tables had turned on him. Yes, his family background was decent, and his father was one of the several vice presidents of the Merchant Guild, wielding considerable influence. He had even dared to covet the wealth of a deceased Professional Rank Expert.

Yet now, facing a living Professional Expert, he didn't even dare to breathe a word. Although, due to the nature of Stanrosai City, the Merchant Guild was one of the top ten forces in the city and one of the top three guild powers, with two Professional Rank Experts on its payroll.

Through its influence over the Mercenary Guild, it could also temporarily recruit a few mercenary groups with Professional Rank Experts for backup. But that was the overall strength of the entire Stanrosai Merchant Guild! Not his father's strength, and certainly not his!

This matter absolutely could not be admitted. Admitting it meant death. The only way to buy a sliver of hope was to insist he was making baseless accusations. Yes, that was it. Given the chaotic state of the various forces in the city, this was his only chance.

"Slander! You're clearly trying to fraudulently claim his belongings! Using force to threaten me into giving you his registration number! That's my fault for being a coward, but everyone think about it—you all know Lord Luo Luoji well. Among the people he was close enough to entrust his legacy to, is there this man? Think carefully, don't be fooled! Is there this man in the Scavenger Squad?"

Gude still had some quick wit. At this point, if he relented, he could be beaten to death by the angry mercenaries and it would be for nothing. He had to hold his ground, preferably escalate the matter, dragging the entire Mercenary Guild into it and letting the Merchant Guild deal with him!

Things had already reached the worst possible state; he didn't care about breaking the pot anymore. Now he only sought to save himself.

"So it's Luo Luoji's stuff."

"Oh, it's his."

"But Luo Luoji's Scavenger Squad only had one Professional Rank. If a Scavenger Squad had two Professional Ranks, that would be insane."

"Uh, that does make some sense."

"..."

Although many had believed Xuan Ye due to his strength, his unfamiliar face allowed Gude to muddy the waters with his words, dragging things into a messy dispute. That bastard was clever enough to first admit a minor fault to downplay the issue, deliberately steering it into a quagmire of arguments. In the end, the truth wouldn't matter—whoever had more believers would be the truth!

"What's going on? I heard some friend was causing trouble here, so I came to check out the excitement."

Just then, a sharp, grating voice came from the entrance of the hall, silencing all the discussions. A tall, gaunt man who looked like a bamboo pole that might topple in the wind stepped into the hall.

He was as thin as a vine, yet oddly carried a heavy hammer over his shoulder that was taller than a man—a bizarre contrast.

As soon as he entered, many mercenaries actively made way for him, expressions of awe appearing on their faces.

"Lord Thorn Monkey, it's him, he's the one causing trouble. Please, you must handle this."

Seeing the newcomer, Gude cried out as if he had found a savior.

Xuan Ye glanced at the newcomer, his brow furrowing slightly before relaxing. Hmm, probably a Two-Star Warrior, not quite Three-Star.

But even at Two-Star, he couldn't be underestimated. After Professional Rank, every star level increase was a qualitative leap—not only granting an additional specialty enhancement but also reinforcing the existing core again!

Although Two-Star experts, like One-Star, belonged to the lower Professional Rank, their status was much higher. From the earlier standoff between Luo Luoji and Ye Man, it was clear that under normal circumstances, a Three-Star mid-level Professional Rank, if determined to ignore the cost of injuries, could take down a One-Star Professional even if they burned their core without too much trouble.

But a Two-Star Professional burning their core was something a normal Three-Star Professional couldn't handle. Even Four-Star experts would be quite wary. Only the much rarer Five- or Six-Star high-level Professional Ranks could truly dominate them. Their survivability and deterrent power were greatly increased, naturally raising their status.

Of course, this was under normal conditions. In Xuan Ye's view, the opponent's rank was higher than his, and theoretically, their combat parameters were stronger, but he wasn't afraid to go head-to-head!

However, for a Professional Rank to appear so quickly showed the Mercenary Guild's attention and influence. More might follow—a second, a third. Unless necessary, he didn't want to engage in pointless fights, which would only benefit that muddling bastard.

Just as he paused to consider how to explain again, Gude seized the opportunity to twist the story first, naturally sticking to his own narrative and routine.

Xuan Ye couldn't help but feel a bit speechless—truly, staying cooped up for too long really did dull one's ability to speak smoothly.

But just as Thorn Monkey frowned while listening to Gude's 'explanation,' Xuan Ye, relying on his sharp eyesight, caught a familiar mark on the other's collar. He then interrupted Gude's lament and asked inquisitively, "Are you from the 'Sand Rat' mercenary group?"

While listening to Gude's complaints, Thorn Monkey had also glanced at Xuan Ye's feet, acknowledging his Professional Rank strength, and was wondering where such a young Professional had suddenly popped up. Hearing this question, he was taken aback for a moment, then clicked his tongue and said, "Are you really not doing this on purpose? Who here doesn't know I'm the leader of 'Sand Rat'?"

"Yeah, Lord Thorn Monkey, he's looking down on you, messing with you."

Gude immediately chimed in to stir the pot.

"Uh, sorry, I've never been to Stanrosai City before. I joined Luo Luoji's Scavenger Squad midway and met a few of your members on the road. Hmm, it seems our subsequent encounters have already been reported back by my companions."

Xuan Ye paused for a moment, then spoke slowly. If it weren't for the 'Sand Rat' members discovering the Dream Island foursome, how would they have ended up in this situation? But judging from the earlier circumstances, Luo Luoji and the 'Sand Rat' mercenary group had a decent relationship.

Sure enough, after Xuan Ye finished, Thorn Monkey's expression stiffened. There was no need to lie about such things—a simple confrontation would settle it. This made Gude's face turn pale.

It was over, truly over this time! There was no chance to turn things around. Now he could only think of ways to reduce the punishment. Before Gude could try to quibble further, Xuan Ye spoke again, "Originally, I wanted to avoid trouble and not get dragged into this matter, but while my comrade's body is still warm, someone dares to try and steal the belongings he left behind. That's something I cannot tolerate. I believe it shouldn't be too hard to thoroughly investigate this matter, as long as we don't give him the chance to destroy evidence or muddy the waters."

Having said this, Xuan Ye paused, then turned his gaze in a certain direction. Another Professional's aura was approaching. To avoid trouble, he decided not to linger.

"According to Dean's speculation, there really is a Professional Rank Arch-Lich lurking in the shadows. You'd better make more preparations in the city. Someone's coming, I'll stop here. Just don't drag me into this."

After speaking, Xuan Ye leaped, his figure wrapped in a sand-proof black robe, and shot out of the hall in an instant. With a few more bounds, he disappeared at the end of the street. Thorn Monkey made no move to stop him. After everyone else had left, his final words still echoed in the air, "Uncle Luo Luoji's last wish was to distribute his belongings among everyone in the Scavenger Squad. I'll leave this matter to you, Lord Thorn Monkey."

Xuan Ye believed the leader of Sand Rat would know what to do!

As the head of a major mercenary group, he had no reason to ruin his reputation over the wealth of a junk-collecting uncle, especially while also offending a Professional like himself!

And if things didn't turn out as expected, well, he could always sneak over alone later!

As for that troublemaker trying to fish in troubled waters, heh, whether it was himself or Thorn Monkey, given the chance, neither would hesitate to finish him off—provided he could survive the guild's internal punishment first...

Seeing Xuan Ye leave without hesitation, Thorn Monkey turned back and cast a cold glare at Gude, then bared his white teeth in a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Young Master Gude, quite the schemer, aren't you? Heh, I'll remember this. I really hope you survive the guild's punishment, so we can take our time playing."

Thorn Monkey harbored deep resentment toward the troublemaking Gude, who had tried to provoke a conflict between him and another Professional!

He didn't think Xuan Ye currently posed any threat to him, but from their brief interaction, it wasn't hard to see how young the other was!

Trying to set him up against a Professional with such immense potential—hah, a truly malicious intent!

Mercenaries were no saints. As he said, if Gude survived this, he could still 'play' with him slowly...

Thanks to the book friends Tang Ruan, Tong Yang Wei Zhi, Kan Kan Shu Wu Liao, etc., for their tips.

Monday requests: all kinds of recommendations, collections, clicks—any support is welcome.