The Steward was also in the Grand Hall of the Mercenary Guild at the time. Knowing that the "Just" Mercenary Group was newly established and lacked significant backing, he had initially feared that Yang Ying would decline involvement and simply leave. Upon hearing that Yang Ying didn't immediately refuse, a great weight lifted from his chest, and his expression softened slightly. "We understand how difficult it is to reverse the course of a civilization, especially one of higher advancement. Therefore, we have made extensive preparations, and we are now on the verge of initiating everything. Meeting you on the eve of this action may well be fate's design. Please, do not rush; allow me to explain everything in detail."

Yang Ying thought to himself: All these pleasantries boil down to getting me to accept this mission. I was wondering why they would approach a newly formed Third-Rank Mercenary Group for a Seventh-Rank task. It turns out they are at the point where everything is ready except for the crucial final push—the last step before success.

"Regarding our partners, in truth, seven separate forces were dispatched for this mission to seek aid and help the Royal Family quell the rebellion. These forces were personally sent out by His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen at the most critical moment for the main planet, each led by one of the sovereigns' seven children. We are but one of those contingents." The Steward straightened up, an inherent aura of seniority naturally manifesting.

He gestured toward the young woman. "This is actually the King's youngest daughter, the Fourth Princess, Her Highness Princess Haffen."

"Members of the Royal Family," Yang Ying and Worgas stood up and bowed to the Princess. This was standard galactic etiquette, causing no loss of face.

The Princess immediately rose to return the courtesy, appearing exceedingly humble. Although the group was communicating via telepathy, their words still reached her ears, keeping her informed of the conversation's progression.

Worgas inquired, "I recall the Flin Royal Family of this generation has three princes and four princesses. Surely all of them have been deployed this time? Why did the King and Queen not leave?"

The Steward sighed, replying, "It is because Their Majesties vowed to share the fate of the main planet, refusing to leave under any circumstances. Otherwise, even if I had to sacrifice my life, this old servant would have brought Their Majesties out."

Seeing a flicker of sorrow cross the Princess's face, Yang Ying started having certain thoughts. Another princess, why say 'another'? Because there's already Bai Bai back home... Do I have some kind of special affinity with royalty? He further mused, Having two Third-Rank masters escorting a princess during a national crisis is reasonably prudent planning. However, they were careless in their conduct, revealing her identity to me—someone they just met. Aren't they afraid I might capture them and claim the bounty from the Flin Republic? Moreover, at this rate, who knows how much more information has been leaked along the way.

The Steward was clearly aware of this and wished to avoid giving the expert before him the impression that their side was incompetent. He spoke decisively, "I imagine you are both wondering why we would reveal the Princess's identity so quickly to people we just met. There is a reason for this. Did you truly believe we would approach you without conducting any prior investigation?" His use of "you both" clearly referred to Yang Ying and Worgas, while he naturally omitted Duo.

The Steward smiled, turning to Yang Ying. "Our intelligence indicates that not long ago, the Kexing people issued a statement supporting Earth civilization's ascension to a new higher civilization. And you are indeed from Earth, correct?"

Ignoring Duo's low murmuring behind him, Yang Ying nodded, directly admitting, "That is correct. As expected of royalty, your intelligence is very accurate. But as an Earthling, what connection do I have with this matter?"

"There is a connection! A very large one!" The Steward was exceedingly confident. "Earth was introduced to higher civilization status by the Kexing people. The conflict between the Kexing people and the Kustar people is famous throughout the galaxy. I presume Earth is also currently facing threats from the Kustar people? We even uncovered records that before Earth civilization was promoted, it suffered an attack from the Ancient Legion—which is also a tool of the Kustar people. In short, the relationship between Earth and the Kustar people, if not openly hostile, is certainly not good."

"Could it be that the Kustar people are involved in this affair as well?" Yang Ying asked, surprised.

"Indeed. Those rebels are backed by the Kustar people. Without the support of those warmongers, so many people wouldn't have dared to betray the Royal Family!" the Steward fumed. "Furthermore, the first to recognize the legitimacy of that so-called Flin Republic were those bastards, the Kustar people! The Kexing people have always been in opposition!"

Yang Ying couldn't help but sigh inwardly: This universe, once again, has the Kustar people stirring up trouble.

The Steward smiled. "It is precisely because we know you are an Earthling that we trust you to keep this little secret, thus preventing the Kustar people from being pleased. Would you not agree?"

Yang Ying nodded, then suddenly laughed. "Old man, you are quite advanced in years; perhaps you should stop using the respectful 'you' form when addressing me. I find it a bit unfamiliar. Just call me Yang Ying." Although the Steward looked barely middle-aged, Worgas, being experienced, used telepathy to inform Yang Ying that the elder's actual age, when translated to Earth units, was likely well over a century.

The Steward, wanting to bridge the relationship gap, declared loudly, "A noble spirit! I shall follow the Kexing custom and address you as Master, as a sign of respect for you being a peak Third-Rank expert." He paused, then continued, "Master Yang Ying, among the seven deployed forces, the Eldest Prince has gone to Kexing to request aid from the Kexing people. Without an entity capable of matching the Kustar people in strength, extinguishing the rebellion will be immensely difficult. The remaining six princes and princesses have journeyed to various locations to organize reinforcements. Some are seeking support from friendly neighbors, while others, like us, are hiring mercenaries."

The Steward pointed to Princess Haffen, himself, and the female Third-Rank master. "A few days ago, the Eldest Prince sent back good news: he successfully secured the support of the Kexing people! Now, the seven reinforcement groups are largely organized, and we have successfully hired two Sixth-Rank mercenary groups."

"Wait!" Yang Ying interrupted. "Why not simply hire Seventh-Rank mercenary groups?"

The Steward gave a bitter smile. "It shames me to say, but the cost of hiring Seventh-Rank groups is exorbitant. After the rebels captured the main planet, they froze most of the royal accounts, and they control the treasury. The wealth the Royal Family can access is scant—collectively, it isn't even enough to hire one Seventh-Rank mercenary group to fight the Flin Republic."

Yang Ying nodded. "I see. You cannot afford a Seventh-Rank group, yet you hired two Sixth-Rank groups. Why then approach us? We have only just been promoted to a Third-Rank group."

"This brings us to the specific nature of the mission," the Steward explained. "In fact, when we saw the deep purple pillar of light appear in the Mercenary Guild Hall earlier, we knew you were the person we were looking for. Compared to your mercenary group, we are far more interested in your personal strength, Master Yang Ying! The two Sixth-Rank groups, combined with the other six reinforcement forces, should suffice on the conventional battlefield. We wish to hire Master Yang Ying for a special task that requires a truly high-level expert!"

"Let me guess, is this about assassinating an enemy general?" Yang Ying asked with a slight, knowing smile.

"That is not it," the Steward shook his head, then grew serious. "But it is close, and even more difficult. What we require Master Yang Ying to do is assassinate the rebel's supreme leader, the pseudo-President Singriel!"

"Nonsense!" Yang Ying slammed the table and stood up. Anyone could realize that such an assassination attempt on a head of state would bring endless repercussions and trouble. Though Yang Ying didn't fear trouble, he certainly didn't wish to invite it. "If you want someone assassinated, you should seek professional killers. The galaxy is vast; finding a peak Third-Rank assassin, while not easy, is certainly possible."

"That is true," Worgas agreed. "The most famous Ten Kings of Assassins in the Orion Arm are rumored to all be peak Third-Rank experts. You can seek them out for the killing."

"Duo, let's go." Yang Ying waved his hand, ready to leave the table.

Princess Haffen grew anxious and moved to stop him, but the female Flin beside her gently placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Master Yang Ying is correct; everyone has their own path. He is not an assassin. We approached him today only because we sensed his mental energy was extraordinarily deep, reaching the absolute limit of Third Rank, and we hoped to ask him to try. Since he declines, we will find an assassin ourselves. Let's not trouble him."

This was also conveyed via telepathy. Yang Ying paused his departure, glanced back, and said, "Take care of yourselves. I hope your kingdom can be successfully restored."

"Master Yang Ying, you take care as well. We hope to cross paths again someday." The three Flin stood and bowed.

Yang Ying nodded and turned to leave. But as he took his first step, a killing intent, lethal and sudden, flooded the entire room!

"Bad! Careful!" Yang Ying immediately knew the killing aura did not originate from the three Flin people; even combined, they lacked such power. This was the aura only a peak Third-Rank master could possess!

In the center of the room, near the ceiling, a silver sphere, about the size of a fist, suddenly materialized. Several indicator lights on its surface flickered ominously, giving off an extreme sense of danger.

"It's a high-energy bomb! Dodge!" The Steward cried out in shock. He and the female Flin shielded Princess Haffen, rushing toward the window, intending to jump out of the building. However, the moment the silver sphere appeared, it emitted a blinding glare and exploded violently!

In that instant, Yang Ying had already judged that the three were unlikely to escape. If there had only been two Third-Rank masters, they might have sustained only minor injuries and escaped. But with Princess Haffen, who possessed no spiritual power, the two masters, even exerting their full strength, might only be able to preserve her intact remains. For the rest of the story, please log on to [Website Address], where more chapters are available. Support the author and genuine reading!