Thawing the Mission

"My lord, there's nothing in Gudan Town that I don't know about. Whatever you need, just give the order."

"If you need to rest here for a while, my lord, I can recommend the best inn—and the most beautiful, attentive maids."

"Your equipment seems rather badly damaged, my lord. I know of a blacksmith shop run by dwarves; their craftsmanship is the finest in town..." All along the way, Lucio spared no effort in displaying his value before Chen Rui. Chen Rui understood his intentions but said nothing. In truth, he had no particular killing intent toward a small fry like Lucio. He only needed to take advantage of the situation to get identification and head for the Dragon Brilliance Empire. Besides, Lucio's endless chatter had provided him with quite a bit of useful information.

"Your great-grandfather was an officer of the Dragon Brilliance Empire?" Chen Rui finally asked.

Lucio, who had practically recited his entire family tree in hopes of finding some connection to this "master-level powerhouse" and thus saving his own life, hurriedly answered, "Yes. My great-grandfather was once the captain of a spearmen battalion in the Red Dragon Corps. Unfortunately, the family later fell on hard times. By my father's generation, we had moved to the Yangshao Kingdom. Then my father died of illness, and I..."

Speaking of his ancestors' former glory and comparing it to his current state, Lucio lowered his head in shame. "Ever since I was little, my dream was to become a spearman and inherit my grandfather's glory. Unfortunately, my luck has been exceptionally bad..."

Bad luck? Was it because being a spearman was such a miserable profession? Chen Rui remembered a saying: "Since ancient times, spearmen have suffered bitterly; their luck never rises above E." A classic example was that poor bastard