Mercenary Association

At the west gate of Grand Natural Academy, there is a carriage and horse service.

As the gathering place for the nobles and scholars of the Grand Duchy, the academy has developed beyond mere carriages with sufficient gold consumption. They now offer beast-drawn carriages pulled by low-level magical beasts, which are much faster.

Furthermore, to cater to the special needs of high-spending scholars, major trading companies have even developed long-distance transportation services using flying magical beasts and airships. However, the corresponding service fees are not something ordinary people can afford.

Reilo looked up at the airship gradually flying away in the sky, imagining the beautiful scenery of overlooking the earth from above, and with a sense of longing, he arrived in front of a merchant called 'Tel's Journey'.

He was a thin boy in his twenties, wearing a plain grey coarse linen shirt.

Bobby, who was adept at reading people, saw the magician in the black robe slowly stop in front of him and immediately knew business was coming. He quickly put down the feed in his hands and greeted him with a smile.

"Esteemed Mage, where are you heading?"

Reilo looked at the solicitous boy in front of him, who was around his age. A few months ago, he himself was begging a priest for mercy at the steps of Lake Onyx's church. How different was his situation then from this boy's now.

"Knowledge changes destiny."

Unconsciously, Reilo's resolve to pursue knowledge grew stronger. He calmly said to Bobby, "I'm going to the Mercenary Association."

Generally, scholars do not discuss academic matters in front of believers. This only adds to the mystique of mages in people's eyes, just like Reilo in Bobby's eyes at this moment—young, noble, and mysterious.

"Alright!"

Bobby replied, "To the Mercenary Association, we have two prices: two silver coins and three silver coins. The faster route takes about one hourglass, and the slower one takes about one and a half hourglasses. Which would you prefer?"

Hearing the price, Reilo's heart ached.

Pretending to be casual, Reilo calmly said, "The one and a half hourglass route, please. I'm just out for a stroll."

A poor mage. No profit to be made this time.

Bobby sighed inwardly, but his enthusiasm did not wane. "Alright, please wait a moment, I'll get the carriage ready and take you to the Mercenary Association."

A moment later.

Reilo boarded the carriage. Driven skillfully by Bobby, it rumbled along the bluestone road towards the Mercenary Association in Saint Grand Fort.

Inside the carriage.

Reilo took out the books he had borrowed from the library. The vast library of the Grand Natural Academy, due to the Church, only had a few books on celestial bodies, and they were all speculative conjectures from low-level scholars, in the form of academic papers.

Even so, Reilo read them diligently, beginning his rudimentary understanding of celestial studies.

About an hour and a half later, Bobby's voice came from outside the carriage.

"Esteemed Mage, we've arrived at the Mercenary Association!"

The outside was bustling with noise. Reilo tidied his appearance before stepping out of the carriage and looking at the majestic red building in the distance, like a sleeping ancient beast exuding a fierce aura.

Roar!

Mercenaries came and went incessantly, carrying the scent of iron and blood, adventure and wealth. Enormous magical beast mounts rumbled past, their roars echoing. The passing mercenaries cast glances, vowing that their own mercenary groups would also grow strong, before departing with hearty laughter, boasting about their thrilling past adventures.

"Sir, I'm afraid you'll have to walk from here. The aura of those magical beasts is too strong, and the carriage cannot pass."

Reilo snapped back to attention. He glanced at the nervous horses, nodded at Bobby, handed over two silver coins, and then jumped off the carriage, walking towards the hall of the Mercenary Association.

As expected, no profit.

Bobby weighed the silver coins in his hand. Not receiving the tip he had hoped for, he shook his head and drove the carriage away.

Reilo looked around, observing the mercenaries gathered in front of the Mercenary Association hall.

Outside, several formal mercenary groups were stationed, seemingly waiting for their captains to enter the hall to receive missions. They whispered and socialized amongst themselves.

In contrast, the numerous lone mercenaries were much more relaxed, often sitting on the ground casually, using their weapons as pillows, chatting and laughing with those they knew.

Among the crowd, there were also a few Elves, Half-Elves, and Dwarves.

Reilo stared at the bearded Dwarf not far away for a few extra moments, marveling inwardly, What an unbelievably strong fellow!

Although the dwarf was only about a meter tall, he was incredibly stout. His legs were short, and his arms were almost as thick as his thighs. He leaned against the thigh of a woolly mammoth, unfazed by the possibility of the three-to-four-meter-tall creature accidentally stepping on him. Beside him lay two rough-looking battle axes, each almost as tall as he was.

Gulp, gulp, ah-ma-ma-ma...

With wine dripping from his beard, the Dwarf then tore into a piece of bone-in meat, his appetite astonishing.

Perhaps because he was a mage, people around Reilo made way for him wherever he went. He soon arrived at the entrance of the Mercenary Association hall.

As Reilo was about to enter, someone was exiting. A wild-looking man carrying a black axe brushed past Reilo. He held a beast-skin contract scroll and shouted at the entrance of the hall, "Charging Battle Axe Mercenary Group is recruiting five temporary teammates! After assessment, you can join the official roster!"

The scattered mercenaries at the entrance of the hall immediately stood up and crowded around him.

Reilo walked into the hall. The guards maintaining order at the entrance scrutinized him but did not question him like they did others.

Countless people were gathered, and various-level missions were posted on the marble walls. However, most were D-class missions, such as escorting merchant caravans, finding specific low-level specimens, or hunting and collecting specimens of certain magical beasts, often requiring the cooperation of multiple people.

With a hint of curiosity, Reilo glanced at the S-class mission scroll at the very top.

S-Class Mission:

Search for clues to the ruins of the Gulan Civilization in the Furnace Desert.

Mission Reward: Seven and a half million gold coins or equivalent energy magic crystals, plus one hundred grams of Star Crystal.

"Uh, this must be a mission issued by the Royal Academician committee?"

Reilo guessed, "Searching for the ruins of the Gulan Civilization is almost every scholar's dream. Also, Self-Control mentions this long-lost ancient civilization..."

Reilo shook his head and looked at the other S-rank quests.

S-rank Quest:

Find the complete remains of an ancient creature from the Abyss of Death.

Quest Reward: Six million gold coins or equivalent energy magic crystals, plus a lifetime elder seat at the Saint Grand Arena, and one Yellow Springs Bird mount.

Afterward, Reilo arrived at the mercenary quest posting area.

It was a sweet-looking blonde girl in her twenties with full lips and eyes like blue amber. Upon seeing Reilo, she immediately flashed a sweet smile.

"Respected Mage, how may I help you?"

A moment later, Reilo paid the silver coins, took the quest scroll, and left after confirming it was correct.

Rogue mercenaries who haven't joined a mercenary group are commonly referred to as E-rank mercenaries. Although these mercenaries pay some security deposit to the association to guarantee the effectiveness of the employer's quest contract, their effectiveness is undoubtedly much lower compared to formal mercenary groups. Desertion during dangerous times happens frequently.

Fortunately, Reilo's current task was not a dangerous one.