Chapter 32: Mercenary Contract

Early the next morning, Li Si stood fully armed at the entrance of the Mercenary Guild.

After searching his heart yesterday and gaining clarity on his true desires, he felt a newfound resolve. Perhaps this was his "Dao heart"? Li Si offered a self-deprecating smile, yet the determination in his eyes remained unshakable.

The mercenary guild hall was already bustling in the morning. Few people remained seated to chat or drink; most were crowded around the quest board, scanning the notices and discussing with their teammates which missions were most suitable to undertake.

Li Si scanned his surroundings and realized that Ya’er and the others had not arrived yet. Perhaps he should have gone to the villa to find them. But never mind, he would wait a while longer. He was likely just impatient; he had arrived a bit too early.

Finding a seat near the guild entrance, Li Si began to simulate and structure spell models in his mind. His progress in arcane research had been stagnant lately, as he had poured most of his energy into martial training. Now that he had acquired the [Mastery of All Weapons] specialty and had familiarized himself with various armaments during his sparring sessions with Ya’er, he needed to refocus his efforts on arcane studies. After all, the arcane was the foundation of his existence!

Just as he was contemplating how to achieve a breakthrough in Abjuration magic, he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

"Li Si, what are you daydreaming about? I’ve called your name several times!" Ya’er’s crisp voice rang in his ears.

"Oh, I was just thinking about something. I didn't notice."

Li Si turned around to see his four fully equipped teammates standing behind him.

Ya’er was wearing a set of dark red leather armor today. Its faint luster indicated it was a valuable enchanted piece, and a long black sword was strapped to her back, making her look particularly lively and charming.

Yasen did not opt for light leather armor but instead wore a suit of white full-plate armor, wielding a silver spear that shimmered with a cold light. He looked quite dashing, though perhaps a bit ostentatious.

Lumbos was clad in a full set of pitch-black dwarven shield-guard armor. It looked far heavier than Yasen’s, yet he seemed to carry it effortlessly, even casually resting a massive iron hammer—nearly as tall as himself—on his shoulder.

Elena was dressed in standard ranger gear. Her slender figure and stunning face drew the gaze of every mercenary in the room. Even Li Si found his eyes lingering for a moment on the patch of fair skin between her shorts and tall boots.

"Let’s go. We’ll register Li Si as a member of our adventure party first, then see what missions are available." Yasen beckoned to Li Si, and the group walked together toward the guild’s registration desk.

***

Coincidentally, Liya was the one sitting at the counter again. Seeing Ya’er’s group approach, she took the initiative to ask, "Ah, it’s the distinguished members of the Ya’er Adventure Party. Is there anything I can assist you with?"

"This is our new member, Li Si. Please help him register his information."

The personal information of official members in a mercenary group was always filed with the guild. While registration wasn't mandatory, failing to do so meant that any missions completed by the group would not count toward an individual’s mercenary points, making it impossible to raise one's personal rank.

"Is this... Mr. Moriarty?"

Seeing his teammates look at him with curious expressions, Li Si couldn't help but cough in embarrassment. "That is a pseudonym I’ve adopted. Please register me under that name."

"Understood," Liya replied quickly. Since this "Mr. Moriarty" was joining the Ya’er Adventure Party—a Gold-ranked mercenary group—he was clearly no ordinary person. She hadn't misjudged him.

Those around them, hearing that the Ya’er Adventure Party had a new member, couldn't help but crowd around to get a look at Li Si. Although the name of Ya’er’s party didn't sound particularly imposing—nothing like "Blood Wolf," "Lion," or "Falcon"—mercenaries valued strength above all else. Every member of the Ya’er Adventure Party was at least Silver-ranked, giving them a formidable reputation.

"Do you need to change any other information?" Liya asked.

Li Si thought for a moment. "Please register my profession as a Mage."

Previously, Li Si had hidden his profession to avoid drawing attention while learning martial arts. Now that he had acquired his warrior specialties, there was no need to hide it anymore. Besides, being a "classless" individual joining Ya’er’s party would only raise more questions.

"Well..."

Seeing Liya’s hesitation, Li Si didn't say a word; he simply withdrew his emerald staff from his storage ring. Channeling his mana, the gemstone at the tip of the staff emitted a vibrant green magical glow.

Seeing this, Liya promptly finished the registration and handed the card to Li Si with both hands. "Mr. Moriarty, your information has been registered. Please keep your mercenary ID card safe."

Li Si took the card, and the surrounding mercenaries stared at the young, handsome mage, whispering among themselves.

***

"No wonder he could join Lady Ya’er’s party. He looks so young, and he’s a mage!"

"When will a mage finally join our team?"

"He must be at least Silver-ranked. To be a Silver Mage at such a young age—that’s incredible."

"For sure. Did you see the staff he’s holding? That’s a massive high-level magic gem. It has to be Gold-tier equipment. He can't be just a Bronze Mage. If he is, I’ll eat my own sword right here!"

"That’s true, but what if he’s a Gold Mage? After all, Lady Ya’er is so young and already a Gold-ranked warrior. It’s hard to say with this handsome young man."

...

Listening to the chatter, Li Si’s mouth twitched slightly. *I’m sorry for being just a Bronze Mage.*

Li Si suppressed the urge to invite that onlooker to perform his sword-swallowing act, instead turning to the quest board with his teammates to look for suitable missions.

[Missing Person Quest: Mr. Smith has run away from home again (portrait attached). Requirement: Bring him back (forceful methods permitted). Reward: 5 gold coins. Duration: No limit.]

[Escort Quest: Escort the Meyer caravan to the Duke of Baird’s territory in the East. Requirement: Mercenary group of ten or more. Reward: 100 gold coins. Duration: One month.]

[Extermination Quest: The Xiluo Manor outside the city is being plagued by a pack of Tusked Boars. Requirement: Eliminate all Tusked Boars in the manor. Reward: 2 gold coins per Tusked Boar. All remains belong to the hunter. Duration: No limit.]

...

As Li Si scanned the notices, the familiar feeling of his past life returned.

He had taken many similar extermination quests before. They were quite lucrative; a single boar could be sold for about 4 gold coins, plus the 2-coin bounty, totaling 6 gold coins—a very decent reward.

However, not many people took these jobs. Aside from experienced hunters using traps, anyone hoping to handle a Tusked Boar alone would need to be at least level 10—equivalent to hunting low-level magical beasts.