...and it was then that Zhong Shenxiu actually drew a pile of equipment from the magic ring. Everyone recognized the markings. These were limited-edition gear from the "Dark Merchants' Guild"—there was no mistaking that emblem and those special identifiers!
In that instant, the eyes of all those mercenaries went wide; staring at the gear, they actually began to drool. The sight was utterly breathtaking—so much top-tier equipment appearing all at once gave them the illusion of being caught in a waking dream!
The stunned pause was brief. In a flash, these men snapped back to reality, surging toward Zhong Shenxiu like a flood breaking through a dike. Their expressions suggested they wouldn't hesitate to resort to force to seize the items!
"Nobody moves past this point!" Just then, Robin strode forward, placing himself squarely between the crowd and the equipment, blocking their path.
The crowd paused, glancing down at Robin as if he were nothing, their focus immediately snapping back to the gear piled before Zhong Shenxiu. As they prepared to rush forward, Keni's voice cut through the air:
"Those who do not comply with the arrangements will not have their items exchanged."
That single sentence caused the mercenaries who were about to step forward to quickly pull their feet back. Keni’s meaning was crystal clear: if they continued to crowd in disorder, they could turn around and leave immediately, as this opportunity would no longer be for them!
Though the mercenaries were burning with impatience, none dared to be the first to test the warning, fearing the loss of this rare chance!
Earlier, they had been worried whether the other party truly possessed this many limited-edition items. Now, that concern seemed entirely superfluous!
"Are these items here for us to trade for?" one man asked, pointing a trembling finger at the pile of equipment, his expression intense.
Everyone else looked silently toward Keni; they were just as eager for an answer.
"You are correct; this is the gear we wish to trade for your items. However, you must come forward one by one. If you cannot follow this order, you are welcome to leave now!" Keni said this with a smile, yet her eyes radiated an undeniable authority!
At this critical juncture, none of the mercenaries were foolish enough to leave. Lining up? No problem; they had certainly queued before!
Soon, a long line formed before them.
The first person stepped up, nervously presenting a dark, stick-like object resembling a piece of firewood, which caused Zhong Shenxiu's eyes to light up.
This man was still worrying whether his item would be deemed worthy. Just as he was about to hand the "firewood" to Keni, Zhong Shenxiu spoke up: "Leave the item here, and you may pick any single piece of equipment from the pile on the ground!"
The man clearly froze, his disbelief so great he could scarcely trust his ears. He quickly looked to Keni for confirmation, as he considered her the one in charge, unable to credit what Zhong Shenxiu had said.
"Do as he says," Keni replied with a smile, while simultaneously cautioning the people behind him, "Everyone else, just follow his instructions!"
"So, I can actually take one piece of equipment?" The man felt his heart threatening to leap from his chest, his breathing growing ragged.
If he truly managed to trade for one limited-edition item, he wouldn't need to be a mercenary for the rest of his life; selling that single piece would be enough to fund his remaining years!
While he was still processing this, Zhong Shenxiu’s voice cut in again: "Are you trading or not? Don't waste my time!"
"Trade, trade!" The man finally reacted, hastily handing his item to Keni before rushing to select from the mountain of gear.
The equipment was incredibly alluring; each piece was a masterpiece among the finest. Choosing a single favorite from among them was genuinely not an easy task!
"Each person gets only thirty seconds to make their choice!" Zhong Shenxiu announced again.
If everyone clustered around, agonizing over their selection indefinitely, it would become tiresome, and worse, disputes over a single item could erupt into violence—something Zhong Shenxiu certainly did not wish to see. Thus, a time limit on selection was necessary!
The first man, afraid that the perfectly cooked duck might fly away, stopped deliberating and simply grabbed an item before leaving. After all, he wasn't keeping it for personal use; his plan was to resell it, making the style or size irrelevant. Getting away quickly felt much safer!
Seeing that they could indeed trade for these limited-edition items, the others felt an unbearable craving, wishing they could immediately dive into the pile!
Although queuing was slightly vexing, it did have one benefit: it allowed them time to scrutinize the equipment carefully so they could go directly for their target when their turn came!
Zhong Shenxiu's ability to judge quality was precise. As long as the descriptions these people provided in their little booklets were accurate, they had almost a one-hundred percent chance of successfully trading for a limited-edition item!
Though the line was long, the process moved quickly. Zhong Shenxiu needed only a glance to verify the authenticity and value of the items in their hands. Consequently, in about half an hour, everyone had secured a coveted limited-edition piece!
While these mercenaries felt they had stumbled upon a massive windfall, they were unaware that Zhong Shenxiu was the ultimate victor. The value of the items they surrendered far exceeded that of the "limited-edition equipment." To use a fitting analogy, they were trading watermelons for sesame seeds!
In the afternoon, a new batch of mercenaries arrived. In just that single day, Zhong Shenxiu amassed over a thousand rare treasures, the ease of acquisition filling him with excitement!
This method was simply brilliant; acquiring treasures from every region without having to travel there himself was unbelievably convenient!
It was through this day of exchanges that the reputation of the "Ethereal Mercenary Group" was truly established. Every mercenary in the "City of Dreamy Twilight" would soon know that the "Ethereal Mercenary Group" was formidable, possessing countless "limited-edition items" and a peculiar fondness for collecting all manner of strange and unusual artifacts!
Now, Zhong Shenxiu didn't even need to make contact; mercenaries came looking for him proactively. These last couple of days had left Reis utterly swamped, constantly being sought out because he was viewed as the go-between for the trades!
Finally, Zhong Shenxiu devised a solution to ease his burden: setting up an outpost in the previously mentioned courtyard, designated specifically to register mercenaries wishing to trade items!
Since this new system was implemented, Zhong Shenxiu acquired astonishing, rare treasures every single day, giving him another profound experience of this world's immense power!
To reward Reis for his hard work over these few days, Zhong Shenxiu specially forged a sword for him, which left Reis grinning like an idiot for days on end!
Perhaps everyone was simply exhausted from the recent intensity, so Zhong Shenxiu decided to take them out for an excursion—partly for relaxation, and partly to take on a mission for a change of pace!
On this day, all members of the "Ethereal Mercenary Group" gathered and headed straight for the "Mercenary Guild!"
The moment they entered, they immediately drew the attention of every mercenary present!
"Hey, look, it's the 'Ethereal Mercenary Group'!" "If I had anything worthwhile, I’d definitely line up to trade with them too!" "They are the 'Ethereal Mercenary Group,' huh? Wait, why is there a child among them?" "Don't underestimate that kid. I heard that young boy is actually their Guild Leader." "Really? Are you kidding me?" "Whoever is kidding you is a beast!"
Zhong Shenxiu and his group ignored the surrounding chatter and walked directly toward the mission bulletin board!
Mercenary missions were divided into several ranks: S, A, B, C, and D, where D represented the lowest-tier mission, and S was the highest. Mercenary Groups were also classified according to this scale, though no one had ever heard of an S-rank group; the highest achieved was typically B-rank!
After examining the board for a while, Zhong Shenxiu frowned. These missions were simply too childish; they even listed retrieving a lost pet as a formal assignment!
"Do mercenaries do these kinds of missions every day?" Zhong Shenxiu spoke suddenly, his gaze still fixed on the board!
Charlotte understood the implication behind Zhong Shenxiu's question and quickly explained, "What's posted publicly here are just the simple tasks; the highest rank shown is only D. The truly difficult missions are never posted like this!"
"Then where are the difficult missions?" Zhong Shenxiu finally turned to face Charlotte.
"You can ask the lady at the counter; just state that you wish to apply for a high-difficulty mission." Charlotte hadn't finished speaking before Zhong Shenxiu turned and headed toward the counter.
"Wait, wait a moment!" Charlotte called out sharply.
"Is there something else?" Zhong Shenxiu stopped in his tracks.
"Newly established mercenary groups are not qualified to view higher-level missions until they have completed three tasks," Charlotte explained, worried that Zhong Shenxiu might cause an embarrassment by approaching rashly.
"There’s such a rule?" Zhong Shenxiu's brow furrowed again, thinking inwardly that being a mercenary involved too much bureaucracy!
"Yes. The 'Mercenary Guild' has a point system. Every newly formed group starts with zero points. Each completed mission accumulates corresponding points, and the higher the mission rank, the more points are earned. Once enough points are accumulated, the group can be upgraded to a higher rank!"
Charlotte then quickly explained the classification of mercenary groups and missions, along with the relevant point regulations!
Zhong Shenxiu finally understood. His "Ethereal Mercenary Group" didn't even technically qualify as a D-rank group yet, because even D-rank groups required points!
Based on Charlotte’s explanation, Zhong Shenxiu calculated that completing three missions of any rank would accumulate just enough points to meet the requirement for a C-rank mercenary group!
"Hey, does it matter what the rank of the three missions is, as long as I do three?" he asked again. He truly wanted to see what these so-called high-level missions would look like, wondering if they would also be so childish!
"Yes!" Charlotte nodded.
Zhong Shenxiu contemplated for a moment and finally accepted three missions to find lost pets.
He considered these three tasks the easiest to complete, not wanting to waste any more time. As he accepted the missions, he released his spiritual wave outward!
According to the mission descriptions, these pets hadn't wandered far. Combining that information with their physical descriptions, Zhong Shenxiu pinpointed their locations in mere moments!
He instructed Charlotte, Reis, and Angelia to proceed to the three locations he had scouted and bring the pets back.
Charlotte and the others were confused, wondering how Zhong Shenxiu could possibly ascertain the pets' locations. Did he possess the ability to foresee the future?
Though astonished, none dared to voice any objection. Zhong Shenxiu was the leader now; the team members only needed to follow the leader's orders!
Not much time passed before Charlotte and the other two returned, each carrying a cute pet.
Instead of looking pleased about completing the mission, the three of them stared at Zhong Shenxiu with expressions of sheer terror, as if he were some omnipotent monster!
The locations Zhong Shenxiu had specified were incredibly accurate, even detailing precisely what each pet had been doing at that very moment. How could this not shock the three of them?
After submitting the three missions, they not only received some commission fees, but the "Ethereal Mercenary Group" was officially promoted to C-rank!
Before viewing the higher-level missions, Zhong Shenxiu first carried out some appointments. He designated Keni and Charlotte as Vice Leaders, with Keni primarily in charge of group finances and Charlotte handling external affairs!
"We request to apply for high-difficulty missions."
After appointing the Vice Leaders and having the appointments notarized by the Guild, Zhong Shenxiu addressed the counter attendant abruptly.
This attendant was not the same one they had met initially, and she looked at Zhong Shenxiu with profound surprise.
What shocked her first was that the "Ethereal Mercenary Group" had chosen a child as its leader; secondly, that this group, having just completed three D-rank missions, was already attempting to challenge high-difficulty tasks—wasn't that incredibly overconfident? Moreover, what could such a small handful of people possibly accomplish?
Although she thought this, she did not show it, replying courteously, "Please walk straight ahead and turn left; there is an entrance to a large hall there. Once you go in, you will see the missions of higher levels."
Entering that hall, they found the layout completely different from the outside area, but one thing remained the same: it was also packed with mercenaries!
Moreover, the atmosphere here was clearly much livelier than outside. Many mercenaries were shouting brazenly, and some were even loudly soliciting recruits!
"Anyone looking to join the 'Aslan Mercenary Alliance'? Join now and enjoy many benefits!" "The 'Odile Cold Mercenary Alliance' is also recruiting aggressively! Apply now to receive a twenty percent discount on the application fee!"
These shouts startled Zhong Shenxiu, who turned to Charlotte and asked, "Hey, what is this 'Mercenary Alliance'?"
Charlotte’s subsequent explanation made Zhong Shenxiu's eyes gleam!