Ames seemed somewhat disappointed, waved for Wilsander to handle, and floated away.
The mercenary group was stunned. What was going on? One second they were shouting for battle, the next Black Star was on the enemy's side. What were they going to do? Were they still considered allies?
Melos whispered, "How come I don't know what you're talking about? You're not lying to her, are you?"
"There's a lot you don't know," Han Xiao said without batting an eye. "They're peak experts; they wouldn't be so easily fooled."
"That's true." Melos wholeheartedly agreed. Even he wouldn't be fooled, let alone the [Dragon Emperor], renowned for its Shattered Star Ring.
The guards stepped forward and took away the members of the three mercenary groups. Before Goya was taken away, she leaned close to Han Xiao and said, "We've been locked up. Only you can move freely. Now that you're Ames's subordinate, try to persuade them to release the Silver Spirit People. This mercenary mission depends on you."
After saying that, the members of the three mercenary groups were taken away. Porter and Fasereni winked at Han Xiao, signaling him to act according to the situation.
The three major mercenary groups were wiped out. Although it was unclear why Han Xiao suddenly became Ames's subordinate, he was the only Han Xiao who could move. He was electricity, he was light, he was the hope of Sheep Village!
The Silver Spirit People are counting on you to save them, brother!
Wilsander stepped forward and led the group out of the hall to another tall building.
"Don't worry, since Ames has recruited you, you're now our colleague. Ames treats her subordinates well, so don't be nervous. I'll take you to see the head housekeeper; she'll assign you your positions." Wilsander's tone was enthusiastic.
Han Xiao nodded. He was well aware of the advantages and disadvantages of working under Ames. Most of her subordinates were ragtag troops, with only three important subordinates. One was the head steward who controlled daily affairs, who was Ames's cousin. The second was the logistics manager who maintained Floating Dragon Island, a highly skilled mechanic. The third was the guard captain in front of him Wilsander, who looked frail but was actually a former great pirate.
The three men each had their own duties and were Ames's most capable subordinates. They had a title called "Dragon Calm's Three Divisions". Most of the players who came to Floating Dragon Island in their previous lives received their quests from these three men.
Han Xiao spoke warmly to Wilsander, and since he knew Wilsander to some extent, they quickly became acquainted.
After chatting for a while, Wilsander couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. He suddenly put his arm around Han Xiao's shoulder, leaned close to his head, and whispered, "Hey, Black Star, what's the relationship between that person you were talking about and Ames?"
"I've only met him once, how would I know?" Han Xiao's brow twitched with a devilish glint. "You seem to have some feelings for Ames..."
Wilsander wasn't embarrassed at all, and laughed heartily, "Haha, although she's never accepted my advances, my handsomeness and dashing appearance will eventually win her heart."
"Handsome..." Han Xiao looked him over carefully. "If we go by the standards of the demon race, you'd be considered an atypical handsome guy."
In reality, that person wasn't Ames's lover, but her teacher. To the players, he was a mysterious merchant whose whereabouts were elusive. If they happened to meet him, besides buying things, there was a chance to trigger a message-carrying quest, just like Han Xiao had done. That person genuinely didn't want to see her, but he didn't lie to Ames. In fact, he let Ames know about this sooner, so she wouldn't have to wait around.
Ames ' past is shrouded in mystery. It's not that she has a powerful background, but rather that she came from a very ordinary family. She was abandoned at a young age due to family misfortune and was adopted by her teacher. There, she awakened her special abilities, studied under her teacher, and developed a deep bond with her. Later, her teacher passed away, leaving behind a promise to continue inspiring Ames —that when she became famous throughout the universe, he would return to find her. However, after Ames achieved her current status, she never heard from her teacher again, which allowed Han Xiao to seize the opportunity.
Arriving at a tall building, this was the nominal administrative center of Floating Dragon Island, handling various daily affairs and business activities. The group went to the top floor, where a large office was bustling with activity. A dozen assistants were frantically processing documents, while the head butler sat behind a desk reviewing files. She was an ordinary-looking woman, Ames's cousin and true confidante.
"Jenny, these are our new companions. Assign them duties," Wilsander shouted as he entered.
The head housekeeper Jenny, didn't even look up, continuing to review the documents, succinctly stating, "Name, ability." Her speech was extremely fast, as if she didn't want to waste a single second.
"Black Star, Mechanic, Grade B..." Han Xiao said, and the players repeated it.
As soon as she finished speaking, Jenny immediately replied, "Black Star, go report to the logistics supervisor. They're short of skilled mechanics. Everyone else, join the guard. Your information has been entered into the files, and your uniforms and badges will be issued to you in a couple of days."
The player became a guard, while I became a logistics officer. His mechanical skills were exactly what the logistics supervisor needed, so he had no objection to this arrangement. However, I was separated from the player, meaning we were acting independently. This is where the role of the officer became apparent.
After leaving the building, Han Xiao whispered, "Melos, you lead the team and protect them. Don't let them cause any trouble."
"I know, don't worry." Melos nodded solemnly. "You be careful too."
Since he couldn't extricate himself, he would let Melos lead the team to ensure that the players wouldn't be leaderless and to minimize the possibility of players making reckless moves... However, apart from a few players who liked to court death, most of the high-level players were quite composed. Although they were surprised by the sudden change in the situation, they trusted Han Xiao and decided to take it one step at a time.
"Haha, I'll take care of your team and let them form their own squad." Although Wilsander was thin and gloomy, he actually had a very cheerful personality. After their conversation, he and Han Xiao hit it off, and he was happy to lend a helping hand.
The logistics work for Floating Dragon Island involves maintaining various floating island devices. Han Xiao came to the logistics department alone. It was a huge high-tech workshop with the fewest people of the three departments.
As Han Xiao entered, a large, insect-like arthropod with six arms and two legs emerged. Interestingly, this anomaly was dressed in a mechanic's uniform...
"You must be Black Star. Welcome. We're desperately short-staffed, and finally we have a new mechanic." This arthropod was the logistics supervisor, an intelligent arthropod that spoke in the form of insect chirps, which were translated into an aged human voice through a translator. His insect-language name translated into Haier was...
Haier is a highly skilled mechanic who has worked for Ames for many years.
Han Xiao had only been a member for a short time when he met three important managers of Dragon Calm. From this, one could see how casually Ames recruited her subordinates. The head butler was his cousin Jenny, the captain of the guard was Wilsander, a former great pirate and half-demon, and the logistics manager was an arthropod.
"Logistics work involves maintaining the propulsion system, anti-gravity device, ecological recycling system, and drilling and data collection devices of Floating Dragon Island. Sometimes it also involves manufacturing and repairing aircraft and spaceships..." Although Haier looked ferocious, he was very kind. After explaining the work, he took Han Xiao on a tour of the logistics department.
After seeing all this, Han Xiao was pleasantly surprised. Being a logistics staff member wasn't a chore at all; in fact, it was very beneficial to him. He had access to all of Dragon Calm's machinery, and with his control panel, he could even deduce the blueprints for some of the machines! The biggest advantage was that the material warehouse was open to logistics staff. Besides repairs, they could privately forge their own items without anyone interfering; it was practically a tacit logistical perk. Among the materials were many extremely rare ones, such as the bones of Void Dragon Race...
After completing the formalities, Han Xiao was officially considered a member.
For several days, he stayed by Haier's side to familiarize himself with the work and was quickly accepted by his colleagues as one of them. Things went smoothly for the players as well. Most of the Dragon Calm Guard were ordinary people, but Melos led the players to form a small team on his own. The other guards dared not provoke him. After a few missions, he gradually adapted to his new identity and transformed from an outsider into a enforcer of the Dragon Calm Guards.
Slave market.
The Silver Spirit People was arrested, Horlade was very excited. He had been looking for clients for the past few days, and several big clients had secretly made offers to him, but he was not satisfied with the prices and they were still negotiating.
That day, Horlade received a communication request from Paiji.
"Haha, you're still alive," Horlade joked.
"I almost lost my life." Paiji's voice was hoarse. He had been severely injured by Han Xiao and barely escaped with his life. After the storm had passed, he gathered his remaining men and returned to the spaceship. This time, he was communicating to ask for money, saying, "The Silver Spirit People has been handed over to you. When are you going to give me my payment?"
What kind of reward?
Paiji frowned. "What do you mean? Trying to renege on your debt?"
Horlade said slowly and deliberately, "No, no, no, you need to understand, your goods were stolen by those mercenaries. These goods no longer belong to you. You didn't hand them over to me; I took them back. So why should I give you money?"
Paiji's face darkened. He hung up the call and cursed, "Shady businessman!"
Silver Spirit People were the most valuable cargo. Horlade had double-crossed him, and he knew he couldn't get his money back. He'd been beaten up and lost his goods; no matter how angry he was, there was nothing he could do. The law of the underworld for criminals was survival of the fittest. Even if Horlade denied it, he could only accept his bad luck.
"Those damn mercenaries!" More than Horlade, the mercenaries were the biggest reason. Paiji hated the mercenaries even more, gritting his teeth, and smashed the communicator with a slap.
Just as Paiji was feeling sullen, an unremarkable spaceship stopped in the harbor next to him.
"Ashes, we've arrived."