"It's almost dark, and there isn't a single reliable person?" Behind the recruitment desk, a tall, skinny middle-aged man sighed.
"Powerful Fire Element Mages would rather put together their own team than join one of those strong squads. Who'd want to take orders from someone else?"
The man beside the tall, skinny one, dressed in a blue tracksuit, said.
"Why don't we recruit a mage of another element?"
"Stop dreaming. Of the beginner-level elemental spells, only Fire and Lightning can deal damage. Without a Fire Element Mage, even if we trap a Demon Beast, we won't be able to kill it!"
"I was just saying. Why are you so worked up?"
"That's enough!" The burly man sitting in the middle cut off his teammates' argument. Wearily, he said, "I think we should just give up the captain's position."
"Captain, you can't do that!"
"Yeah! Have you forgotten how badly that bastard Ma Zhuang screwed us over?"
It was almost dark outside, and the group was famished. The captain gave a bitter smile. "Let's call it a day. We'll come back tomorrow... You are?"
Xu Fang stood in front of the recruitment desk and flicked his finger. A flame danced at his fingertip.
"You're recruiting a Fire Element Mage, right?"
......
Evening was drawing in, but people's nightlife was just getting started.
At a food stall.
"This drink is to welcome Brother Zhang San to our Flying Tiger Squad!"
"Cheers!"
Several glasses clinked together. Frothy beer splashed into the air, and the scent of malt filled the air.
"So your previous Fire Element Mage left for another squad after breaking through to Level 3 Beginner Magic?" Xu Fang asked.
"That's right! Exactly!" Fangfang, the squad's cute Wind Element Mage, said indignantly. "He comes and goes as he pleases. Does he think the Flying Tiger Squad is a public restroom?"
"Fangfang!"
Captain Zhu Wang glared at her, then explained to Xu Fang, "Brother Zhang San, Fangfang didn't mean anything by it. Ma Zhuang's situation... was a little unusual."
When he signed the contract, Xu Fang had signed a temporary one, which left him free to leave whenever he wanted. Zhu Wang was afraid Xu Fang would think Fangfang was taking a jab at him.
According to his résumé, although Brother Zhang San had taken on few missions, his record was impressive: a 100% completion rate, and he was tough enough to solo Servant-level Demon Beasts!
"Ma Zhuang signed a long-term contract with us. When he first joined, he was a rookie fresh out of magic school. We pooled our resources and trained him step by step until he reached his current level. But as soon as the Fire Flame Squad made him an offer, Ma Zhuang..."
Xu Fang asked, "I thought the Hunter's Alliance had a rule that Hunter Mages couldn't switch squads at will during their contract period."
"That's just a rule on paper."
Zhu Wang smiled bitterly. "After we refused his request to leave, Ma Zhuang repeatedly slacked off and put our squad in danger. The Fire Flame Squad was also quite famous in Yangcheng, so we had no choice but to let him go."
"Because we 'volunteered' to let him leave, we even had to pay him compensation!" Liu Xiao, the Water Element Mage, spat. "Damn, the more I think about it, the madder I get! Wang Peng, show Brother Zhang San your injury!"
The Earth Element Mage Wang Peng said nothing. He silently opened his shirt, revealing a gruesome wound beneath.
"This was left by a Cave Lizard. Qianqian's Ice Vine had already restrained it. Ma Zhuang could've killed it with Fire Spark Burning, but instead, he used Fire Spark!"
Liu Xiao downed a glass of liquor, then used the buzz to vent all the resentment he'd bottled up:
"The Ice Vine melted, but the Cave Lizard didn't die. It went berserk after getting injured. If I hadn't used Water Shield in time, Wang Peng would've been a goner!"
There was nowhere to report something like this, and even if there were, it wouldn't do any good.
The guy could just say the Demon Beast was too close, and he'd been so nervous he couldn't connect to his star orbit. What could anyone do about that?
Ruin his reputation? He'd already found another team. Why would he care?
The mood grew a little heavy.
Xu Fang smiled and raised his glass. "Don't worry. I'm not like that ungrateful bastard. I promise I'll do my best to help the squad complete its missions for as long as I'm in Yangcheng."
Zhu Wang hurriedly raised his glass. "In that case, thank you, Brother Zhang San!"
......
The next day.
"Brother Zhang San, once we leave the Safety Zone, we'll be in Demon Beast territory." Zhu Wang handed Xu Fang a large pack. "It's got wilderness survival gear and some compressed rations. We've prepared everything for you."
"Thanks."
That was the nice thing about joining a team. No need to think; you just had to mindlessly dish out damage.
Could that be why Ling Ling had spoiled Mo Fan into becoming a reckless walking artillery platform?
"Our target today is the hard shells shed by Cave Lizards," Zhu Wang said. "This is a commission from the Magic Association. They want to use them to make Armor Magic Tools."
Liu Xiao laughed. "They buy the raw materials from us for next to nothing, then turn around and make Magic Tools worth more than ten times as much. What a business."
Fangfang scoffed. "Bricks are cheap too, but I don't see houses getting any cheaper!"
"Shut up," Qianqian said coldly.
"Wah, Qianqian, you're being mean to me! You don't love me anymore!" Fangfang clung to her arm, squishing her round breasts flat.
Xu Fang sucked in a sharp breath. Good heavens, am I really allowed to see this for free?
Soon, the squad reached the edge of the Safety Zone. Military Mages were patrolling up ahead as usual. When they saw them, even the rowdiest members of the group, Liu Xiao and Fangfang, fell silent.
"Zhu Wang, it's been a while since you came out here." The lead Military Mage knew Zhu Wang well. He glanced at Xu Fang. "Is he your new recruit?"
"Yeah. His name's Zhang San."
"Let me see your Hunter Mage ID."
Zhu Wang frowned in confusion. "Old Xu, you..."
"Don't look at me. I'm not singling you out; it's the same for every squad." Old Xu checked the ID, then casually added, "You've been in town these past few days, so you wouldn't know. Just yesterday, a train car derailed and got completely smashed up."
"That bad?"
"You bet. And I heard the derailment happened because Intermediate Mages started fighting inside the car..."
Xu Fang listened to the whole conversation from the side.
Old Xu wasn't high-ranking and didn't know many details, but piecing together what he'd heard still gave Xu Fang a few key clues:
For instance, in the Intermediate Level battle, the winner was Judge Liu Guifang. Tu Chao had been blown away by Wind Disk and turned into a heap of limp vegetables.
Also, Yangcheng didn't even have a high-speed train station, yet a helicopter had landed there yesterday and flown north under cover of night.
Must be nice to be on the government payroll!
Xu Fang was green with envy.
He still had to replace his ID in Yangcheng, earn some spending money, and find a chance to catch the next train. The others had simply left by helicopter.
Actually, if he'd been willing to wait there yesterday, Liu Guifang would definitely have taken him back to the Ancient Capital.
But when he got there, he wouldn't necessarily have been welcomed with flowers and applause. He'd be far more likely to face a round of interrogation.
----What's with your strength?
----How did you kill an Intermediate Mage?
Not everyone was as understanding as dear Teacher Tang Yue. Most people just wanted to cover their own asses.
"By now, the Bell Tower Judgment Society probably knows I exist."
"I need to come up with an excuse to get out of this..."
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