Locke and Er (3)

Chapter 23: Locke and Er (3)

The sun was shining brightly, promising a fine day.

As soon as the academy went on holiday, Fatty Shi took on a private job, keeping Lorist busy for three days straight with all the preparations. Now, he and Yuri were loading iron cages onto a four-wheeled long-distance carriage from a rented house. These cages were needed for the mission, primarily to set up traps for small magical beasts.

Yuri was a student at Dawnlight Academy and an assistant instructor for Equestrian Instruction, a Black Iron rank second-tier fighter. Like Lorist, he was studying while working and often teamed up with Lorist to take on low-level missions from the Mercenary Guild for some extra cash.

After all fourteen iron cages were loaded and secured on the carriage with ropes, Lorist double-checked everything he needed to bring. Once he was sure nothing was missing, he got off the carriage, grabbed a waterskin, twisted open the pine stopper, and took a few sips. Everything was ready; they just needed Fatty Shi and the others to return so they could depart.

Private jobs, as they were called, generally referred to missions that mercenaries accepted from employers privately, without the official notarization and approval of the Mercenary Guild. While this allowed them to avoid the guild's commission fees, it also significantly increased the risks involved. Incidents of employers reneging on deals, turning hostile, double-crossing, or even acting as bandits were not uncommon. However, the Mercenary Guild's commission rates were exorbitant, taking a hefty cut from both employers and mercenaries, sometimes as much as thirty to forty percent for lucrative missions. Therefore, if the conditions were favorable, mercenaries wouldn't mind taking the risk for private jobs.

"Hey, little brother Locke, what are you guys up to?" Er swaggered over, a jacket slung over his shoulders. He approached the carriage, glanced at the iron cages, and then peered into the carriage interior. "Oh, you're heading out on a mission again."

Seeing Er always gave Lorist a headache. He'd had bad luck twice in the past six months whenever he'd encountered Er. The first time, he'd lost money. Of course, Lorist would never admit he'd been a bit infatuated then; he believed if Er hadn't stubbornly refused to yield and clung to his leg, he would have returned to his room much earlier, and that vixen wouldn't have had the time to steal so many things. The second time was pure, unprovoked misfortune. He'd kindly lent Er a cloak, only to be mistaken for Er's accomplice and beaten up. What annoyed him most was that he couldn't retaliate. They were all ordinary people—old ladies, old men, young wives, and uncles—and he couldn't and wouldn't lay a hand on them, so he could only suffer the loss.

Therefore, in Lorist's eyes, Er was a walking disaster magnet; nothing good ever happened when he ran into him. He'd have to be extra careful today to avoid another misfortune.

Ironically, Er seemed completely oblivious to his reputation as a harbinger of bad luck, wandering around in broad daylight. Having interacted with Lorist twice, he considered them friends and was being overly familiar, calling him "brother." Now, after seeing the mission supplies prepared on the carriage, Er felt it was time to offer some advice to his "little brother."

"Ahem, listen here, little brother Locke. Always dealing with these low-level magical beasts is both boring and has no future. As a mercenary, you should have a broader vision. Places like the magical beast forest deep in the Sunset Mountains, the Doomsday Beach in the Kingdom of Chigda, the underground caves of Urubaha, or the archipelago ruins in the Tranquil Sea are where mercenaries should be adventuring. These places are more dangerous, but the rewards are substantial. Didn't the Unicorn Mercenary Group return from the magical beast forest last time? They struck it rich on that expedition; each of their forty-three members received over a hundred Gold Fude." Er spoke with great animation.

Lorist rolled his eyes. This guy was talking without experiencing the hardship. The places he mentioned were all recognized as perilous locations on the continent. Asking him, a Black Iron rank mercenary, to go to those places would be like offering himself up as a meal to the magical beasts. He only listened to common gossip and didn't consider how many people were originally in the Unicorn Mercenary Group. Over one hundred and twenty-five experts, all Silver rank or higher, had entered the magical beast forest. In less than a month, only forty-three returned. After completing their mission, the group leader and vice-leader, two Gold rank experts, sat crying in the Mercenary Guild hall like five or six-year-old children, a sight that moved anyone who saw it.

"Are you, a gang boss, bored out of your mind, wandering around in broad daylight? Go do whatever you're supposed to be doing. If you don't understand mercenary matters, don't spout nonsense," Lorist said bluntly.

"Heh, you don't buy it, huh? I'm a mercenary too, and a Silver rank mercenary at that," Er said proudly, pulling a Silver rank badge issued by the Mercenary Guild from somewhere and pinning it to his jacket.

"Huh? Why would you, a gang boss, have a Silver rank mercenary badge? You don't even use it," Lorist asked, puzzled.

"That mercenary badge was something he got from doing missions at the academy before. It was originally Black Iron, but after he became a gang boss and was promoted to Silver rank, he exchanged it at the Mercenary Guild for a Silver rank mercenary badge," Fatty Shi's voice came from nearby, answering for Er.

Lorist looked up. Fatty Shi and Telman had returned, riding two horses.

Telman was an enforcement member of the academy's disciplinary department, a Silver rank first-tier fighter, and one of Lorist's few close friends at Dawnlight Academy.

As they approached, Fatty Shi pointed at Er and said to Yuri and Telman, "Get acquainted, this is Brunan Evanbert. He also graduated from Dawnlight Academy, so he's your senior. He was in the same class as me, but after graduation, he became the boss of a local gang in this district."

"Hello, I'm Yuwen Riedes. You can call me Yuri."

"Hello, my name is Vipoli Telman."

Er nodded to them, and they were introduced. Then Er asked curiously, "Fatty, where are you guys going on this mission?"

Fatty Shi replied, "Christo Hills. A mine there has discovered Gold-Eating Rats. We need to exterminate them."

Gold-Eating Rats were low-level, small, pack-dwelling magical beasts that fed on metal ores. They were about the size of a cat or dog and resembled rats. Though timid, they were inherently ferocious and would fight to the death once provoked. Ordinary people encountering Gold-Eating Rats should not panic; they should try to appear threatening to create a standoff and then slowly retreat to escape. If one had awakened Battle Qi, even a Bronze rank first-star fighter could easily deal with a lone Gold-Eating Rat. However, Gold-Eating Rats rarely appeared alone; they would call for their kin and surround their enemies.

In the Magical Beast Lore course Lorist took, Gold-Eating Rats were famous because legend had it that the first warrior to awaken Battle Qi encountered a ferocious magical beast that was a Gold-Eating Rat. Fortunately, it was alone, as Gold-Eating Rats only left their packs to find mates during mating season. Otherwise, the warrior might not have had the chance to awaken Battle Qi, and humanity might have remained in darkness for another thousand years.

On the food chain of many underground magical beasts, Gold-Eating Rats were usually at the top. Therefore, for human mines, discovering Gold-Eating Rats was a major issue that required their complete extermination, or at least the elimination of the pack's queen. Only then would the remaining Gold-Eating Rats leave the area. Otherwise, a large rat population would inevitably attract other fierce underground predators, which could easily endanger the mine.

The Roman Empire, one of the three great empires of Galintea, once experienced a famous mine incident. It was the Roman Empire's largest gold-producing region, and due to poor management, Gold-Eating Rats became a plague, eventually attracting two giant Unicorn Rock Pythons that occupied the mine. Over three thousand miners died. Finally, the Roman Empire dispatched a Sword Saint and over sixty Gold rank experts, at the cost of heavy casualties, to kill the two Unicorn Rock Pythons. Afterward, over forty noble families were implicated, beheaded, and their assets confiscated. Following this incident, all mines on the continent took heed, exterminating every Gold-Eating Rat they found without fail.

"What's wrong? Didn't Steve and the others come?" Lorist asked, surprised that Fatty Shi and Telman had returned without recruiting more help.

"Yeah, those guys prioritize girls over everything. Isn't the second year, third class of the art department going to Benzgon to sketch? Steve took the Cole brothers to escort them. It's true, guarding beautiful women is better than crawling into a mine with us," Fatty Shi said, extremely annoyed. He'd been so busy preparing supplies for this private job that he'd forgotten to rally the team early. Now, on the verge of departure, he realized they were short-handed.

Er, overhearing Fatty Shi mention the shortage of manpower, his eyes lit up. "Hey, hey, Fatty, how about me? Why don't I go with you guys?"

Fatty Shi was taken aback. "Er? You want to go? You're doing fine as a gang boss, why would you go on an adventure with us? Besides, this is a private job, and it's very risky."

Lorist vehemently objected. "Fatty Shi, don't listen to his nonsense. A gang boss like him would go on adventures to places like the magical beast forest or Doomsday Beach; he wouldn't be interested in a small job like killing Gold-Eating Rats. He's just joking."

Er said seriously, "I'm not joking. To be honest, Fatty, you know I became a gang boss out of necessity. My brothers forced me into this position, and I couldn't help it. They handle all the business, and I, the gang boss, wander around the streets all day, which is incredibly boring. I dream of going on adventures! I really miss doing mercenary missions with everyone back at the academy. You've known me for many years, and you know my character. What do you say, is it okay? You're short-handed anyway, and with me, our strength should be enough to handle the risks."

"This..." Fatty Shi hesitated.

"No." Lorist objected again. If this disaster magnet tagged along, it would be best not to take the mission at all; they should all just go back and sleep soundly, or they were bound to have bad luck.

"Fatty, you know the attribute of my Battle Qi cultivation, and you're well aware of my talent skills. Bringing me to the mine will be very beneficial," Er added another weight to the scale.

Hmm? This guy has talent skills? Lorist's curiosity was piqued.

"Locke, what's your reason for opposing his joining?" Fatty Shi asked Lorist.

"This..." Lorist thought, I can't possibly say he's a disaster magnet and that his joining will bring us bad luck. "He hasn't done missions with us before, and I'm afraid we won't be able to coordinate well."

Finally finding a reason, Lorist wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"I will definitely obey orders," Er said.

"You promise?" Fatty Shi asked.

"I promise."

"Alright, then you're welcome to join our adventure team. I'm Captain Shredder. You have half an hour to prepare, then return here to assemble. We're departing immediately. This trip to Christo Hills will likely take over twenty days round trip. Is that okay?" Fatty Shi made the final decision.

"No problem. Um, Fatty, oh no, Captain, I think it's best we gather at the Red Raven Tavern. It's a hub for private jobs. Have my uncle show you the commission logbook, and see if there are any related missions you can take on together. Just say I sent you; that old man will believe you when he sees Locke." Er offered a great gift as soon as he joined the team.

Fatty Shi was tempted. He hadn't realized the Red Raven Tavern operated this way secretly, essentially poaching clients from the Mercenary Guild. However, for mercenaries like them, it was a good place. After all, taking commissions from a tavern was less risky than arranging private deals. Moreover, the tavern owner wouldn't provide guarantees for strangers.

"Alright, we'll gather at the Red Raven Tavern then."

In fact, before Fatty Shi could figure out what to say to the owner of the Red Raven Tavern, Garilando, upon seeing Lorist and hearing they were going on a private job, proactively took out the small logbook containing commissioned tasks and invited Lorist and the others to see if there were any missions they could complete along the way.

Fatty Shi looked through the logbook and found that most of the commissions involved running errands or buying things. If these commissions were posted on the Mercenary Guild, they would essentially be tasks for Bronze or Black Iron rank mercenaries. However, taking these commissions from the Mercenary Guild wouldn't yield much profit, at most just a convenient side task. But accepting them from the Red Raven Tavern offered enough reward for one person to undertake the trip specifically.

Fatty Shi discussed it with the others and accepted seventeen commissions. If all were completed, each person would earn an extra Gold Fude, which was indeed quite good. Garilando also mentioned that although these commissions were small in value and didn't pay much, they were plentiful, and he often struggled to find trustworthy mercenaries. If they completed the job well this time, they would be welcome to come here for private jobs and extra income in the future.

Er entered wearing a brand-new salamander leather armor. This type of armor, made from salamander hide, was effective at retaining warmth and repelling insects and scorpions, making it excellent gear for underground exploration. It wasn't cheap; it was high-end merchandise that ordinary mercenary adventurers couldn't afford. A silver mercenary badge was pinned to the left breast of the armor.

Er loudly greeted everyone he knew in the tavern, as if he wanted everyone to know he was a mercenary about to embark on an adventure. What struck Lorist as odd was that his uncle, Garilando, the tavern owner, seemed completely unbothered by Er joining Lorist's adventuring party. On the contrary, he appeared to welcome it, personally bringing everyone a cup of Blackberry Mead and wishing them a smooth and prosperous journey.

After leaving the city, Fatty Shi rode his horse closer to the carriage and asked Er, who was sitting beside the driver's seat and bickering with Lorist lying in the back, "Why does your uncle trust Little Locke so much? He actively took out the quest commission book when he saw him."

Lorist was also puzzled by this question. He had only met old Garilando twice, the first time even fighting him. How could old Garilando treat him with such regard?

Er lazily glanced at Lorist and replied listlessly, "The old man said Little Locke has good character. He said that even though he was tricked by some shrew the first time, it was because he was upright and helpful that he fell for it. The second time he was wrongly accused and beaten by ordinary people, he restrained himself from fighting back, preferring to be beaten badly rather than harm anyone. It's rare to see a young man with such self-control and his own judgment, which is why the old man admires Little Locke so much and told me to learn from him. He doesn't consider that I'm a silver-ranked expert. I'd rather run than attack ordinary people chasing me; that kind of tolerance and magnanimity is far superior to Little Locke's."

"Tch..." Lorist retorted, "Don't forget you were naked at the time. You could barely run, let alone turn back to fight."

Everyone burst into laughter.