Departure

Early the next morning, an ordinary carriage swayed out through the crowded eastern gate of Can Guang City and headed southeast.

These were the five members of the Ya Er Adventurer Team. Arsen had rented a carriage to take them to the destination of their commission.

After some inspection and discussion yesterday, Ya Er and the others had finally settled on the commission they would accept.

[Advanced Subjugation Commission: The vineyard of Baron Zet Tony has been invaded by an unknown magical beast (suspected to be a Silver-level magical beast), resulting in the deaths of more than a dozen people (including one Silver-level mercenary). Eliminate the magical beast and clear all threats from the vineyard. Reward: 1,000 Gold Coins. Time limit: one week.]

Just as Li Si had expected, a new quest had appeared in the system as well.

[Silver-level Mercenary Quest: Magical Beast Subjugation]

[Quest Requirement: Follow the Ya Er Adventurer Team to eliminate the magical beast causing trouble in Tony Baron Territory.]

[Quest Reward: 700,000 experience points, 100 Gold Coins]

As expected of a Silver-level quest, the experience reward was truly generous—enough for him to raise his level by another three.

Just as he had thought, joining the Ya Er Adventurer Team allowed him to accept quests above his rank. Clinging to this powerful backer had truly been worth it.

As he thought, Li Si leaned against the side of the carriage. Dry wheat straw, filled with the scent of sunshine, cushioned him beneath, while many farmers in the fields along the road had already begun their day's work.

The carriage was not moving quickly. Although the destination vineyard was not far from Can Guang City, it would still take more than a day to reach on foot. To conserve their strength for unexpected situations, Arsen had rented a carriage anyway.

It was not that they could not afford a more comfortable enclosed carriage, but those carriages were unsuitable for the bumpy dirt roads of the wilderness. They were far less convenient and swift than this lightly equipped carriage.

Ya Er and the others were already accustomed to traveling this way. As for Li Si, there was even less need to mention it. During the early stages of the game in his previous life, long-distance travel had basically relied on such light carriages. Advanced means of travel like Teleportation Arrays had only come into use later on.

"By the way, the reward for the commission we took is quite generous. It's at least fifty percent more than an ordinary Silver-level commission, isn't it?"

Li Si asked Arsen, who was driving the carriage.

Ya Er was currently leaning over the side of the carriage, her eyes observing the farmers tilling the fields in the distance. She held a thumb-thick branch she had picked up from somewhere, lightly waving it through the air.

Though she was the team leader, she generally never handled the adventurer team's affairs, tossing everything to Arsen, her useful laborer, to decide.

"You know quite a bit." Arsen nodded, flicking the reins to guide the draft horse forward. "This commission is rather unusual. I asked the guild about it. Some mercenaries had accepted it before, but none completed it. One Silver-level mercenary was even ambushed and killed by that magical beast. Hardly anyone is willing to take the job now, so I imagine that was why the client raised the reward."

"That's not the only reason, is it?" Li Si asked.

"That's right. You also hold a noble title, even if you have not been granted land, so you should have realized it."

Arsen paused before saying, "As a noble lord, the people of a territory offer their loyalty to their lord, and the lord must ensure the safety of the people within the territory. This is every lord's most fundamental and important duty."

"Baron Zet Tony, as the lord, has suffered such serious casualties in his territory yet has been unable to properly deal with them. This has not only severely affected the normal operation of the vineyards in his territory and caused immense economic losses, but more importantly, it will make the royal family question his ability to govern his land."

"If this were on the kingdom's frontier, it would not matter much. But his territory is only a day's journey from the royal capital, Can Guang City. That makes it a serious problem. If he cannot handle it for a long time, he may not even be able to keep his noble title or territory."

"Just as I thought!" Li Si nodded. It was exactly as he had guessed.

Gaia World was, after all, different from his previous life. These lands were not inhabited by humans alone; there were also countless intelligent races, magical beasts, and wild animals.

To better govern the country, the state had granted lands beyond the royal family's ability to control to others. That was how the earliest nobles had come about.

The people living within noble fiefs obeyed their lords and paid taxes in exchange for the lord's protection.

After all, the wilderness was simply too harsh an environment for ordinary people.

The existence of magic meant that all kinds of extraordinary creatures were widespread throughout the world. Even within human kingdoms, various extraordinary creatures and magical beasts still roamed between territorial cities. Even when the kingdom organized armies to sweep through them repeatedly, it could only keep their numbers at a relatively low level.

Even the weakest extraordinary creatures, such as goblins, kobolds, and slimes, posed a deadly threat to ordinary people.

So even though living within territorial cities required paying considerable taxes, ordinary people still flocked there and were unwilling to leave. Perhaps that was the sense of security brought by city walls and the lord's army.

But humans were such a remarkable race. The weak could not even defeat a slime, while the strong stood atop the gods and looked down upon all living beings.

Li Si sighed inwardly. That was probably why humans now occupied most of the finest lands in Gaia World. After all, the human pantheon held the greatest number of seats in the Hall of the Gods.

As the carriage continued onward, the land on both sides of the road gradually became more desolate. There was no sign of human habitation, only rampant grass and trees.

Li Si and the others also heightened their vigilance. In the wilderness, the greatest taboo was carelessness and letting down one's guard. Even if you were a Gold Warrior, how could you know an Ancient Red Dragon would not leap out from the roadside and send you to meet the God of Dawn with a single breath?

The chances were low, but never zero!

Veteran mercenaries who had survived multiple wilderness expeditions always kept this firmly in mind.

Just as Li Si split his attention between watching the surroundings and simulating a Spell Model in his mind, a sound came from the bushes beside the road ahead.

"Yah!"

Two short creatures suddenly rushed out, shouting at Li Si's carriage.

Arsen stopped the carriage without the slightest panic. He had already recognized what they were.

"Li Si, this is your first time leaving the city for a mission, right? Do you know what these are?"

Of course Li Si knew them. He was extremely familiar with them and recognized at once that the two were not human.

Pah. They were actually kobolds, one of the most commonly encountered extraordinary creatures in the wilderness.

Kobolds were short. Ordinary kobolds stood only around two feet tall. Their skin was scaly, ranging in color from dark brown to black. They had two small pale horns, glowing eyes, and straight, rat-like tails.

Kobolds were timid and cunning, skilled at hiding and ambushing, and inclined to abuse other creatures. They feared bright light and generally lived in dark places, such as underground or in forests dense with leaves.

It was said that kobolds carried a trace of dragon blood, which might be why Dragon Blood Warlocks occasionally appeared among them.

Even though Li Si had seen kobold monsters countless times, no matter how he looked at them, he could not understand how dragons could possibly fancy such ugly creatures.

Perhaps dragons really did possess those so-called eyes that could discover beauty.

Looking at the two kobolds hopping toward the carriage, Arsen said to Li Si, "Since you recognize them, why don't you use these two to get some practice?"

Please keep reading, bosses. It's very important for this kid.