Chapter 105: Mercenary Dishia
At 8:50 p.m., in a tavern in Port Omos
A female mercenary with ice-blue eyes sat under the dim light, legs crossed, silently listening to the discussions of other mercenaries in the tavern, a big sword leaning against the table, her soft honey-colored muscles under the light showed her strength and bravery.
...
"They are all desert mercenaries. Why can the guys from the Thirty-Man Group freely enter and exit those high-end taverns?"
"Those people speak in fancy language and always love to teach us how to do things. Have they been assimilated by the scholars of the Magisterium after spending so much time with them?"
"They have settled in the rain forest. They are of course different from us mercenaries who go back to the desert once every six months."
“They are so impressive that even the color of their clothes is different from ours. The residents of Xumi City are wary of us but trust them. Aren’t we all working for the Order Institute?
I didn’t do anything bad. Last time I found a coin bag and wanted to return it to the owner, but as soon as I called him, he yelled at me and threatened me to put down his coin bag, otherwise he would call a group of thirty people, haha. "
"The situation has been good in recent years. Because of the shortage of manpower, the Order of the Lords recruited a large number of mercenaries and asked us to carry out missions with the Thirty-Man Group. Otherwise, the rainforest people's attitude towards us would be even worse."
...
Several mercenaries who had just arrived in the rainforest area were talking loudly, trying to let everyone in the tavern know about the unfair treatment they had suffered, but as they were talking, the topic turned to the "Thirty Man Group" who also came from the desert, and their words were full of dissatisfaction and envy towards the "Thirty Man Group".
This tavern was opened as a resting place for the mercenaries by the kind-hearted master Sangge Mahabayi after he learned about their plight. When there were no employers coming to issue commissions, these mercenaries of the Gilded Brigade would drink and chat here to recuperate.
There are thirteen such settlements in Port Omos, and Dolly is still investing in order to provide a better negotiation environment for employers and mercenaries, so that she can charge more intermediary fees.
According to Master Dolly, the dirty, crowded environment would affect the mercenaries' health and make it impossible for them to work normally. If they couldn't work, they wouldn't be able to obtain Mora, which would be a considerable loss for her tavern.
So she provided the mercenaries with drinks to remove the humidity of the rainforest. Long and wide low chairs could be found everywhere in the tavern, which could accommodate three people sleeping side by side.
There was a commission board next to the bar, with a few sparse pages of commission content hanging on it. They were all commissions that were extremely difficult to complete without the Eye of God. Some even required the employee to have the Eye of God, otherwise the papers would have been torn away long ago.
Standing on the second floor and looking around, I saw desert people with dark skin and ragged clothes all around. Almost all of them stank, but they felt at ease. The rainforest was so big, but it seemed that this was the only place that belonged to them.
After a few glasses of wine, the depression in the hearts of the desert residents who had just arrived in the rainforest could no longer be suppressed, and it poured out like beans.
The older mercenaries either drank in silence, or rested against the wall indifferently to recover their strength before waiting for the next employer, or muttered to themselves, "I'll get used to it. At least I have a place to live now."
Or they would comfort these newcomers, saying that although the work was a bit tiring and aggrieved, they could earn a lot here. As long as they got the work and endured for two or three months and were not crippled, they could buy relatively abundant supplies in the desert after paying taxes and live a stable life for the first half of the year.
If you are lucky, you might be able to secretly bring back a few paper books. Even if you don't read them yourself, you can sell them to some tribal leaders. Some leaders love books from the rainforest, and no matter what the book is, you can sell it for a good price with them.
Then maybe we won’t have to come to the rainforest to make a living for two years.
The tavern was noisy, but all the chaotic sounds stopped with the creaking sound of the door being pushed open. The young men who were complaining just now stared at the man standing at the door with burning eyes, and the experienced mercenaries who had closed their eyes to rest immediately opened their hawk-like eyes.
It’s the client, business is coming!
Mercenaries of all ages and genders became nervous. The mercenary business is often very risky. Most of the time, one order can support them for several months. Who the employer is, what the commission is, and whether the task is long-term or short-term may affect their livelihood for the whole year.
When the visitor walked in and saw the attire of a scholar from the Order of the Holy Spirit, some of the more capable mercenaries silently looked away.
Their abilities give them a certain right to choose their employers. Compared with scholars, they are more willing to compete for jobs as merchant bodyguards or caravan guards. Although competition among their peers is fierce, incidents such as withholding commissions, demanding installments, or changing commissioned projects midway rarely occur.
But the mercenaries who are not tall enough or strong enough are still eager. They just want to receive commissions and earn commissions. No matter who the commission is from or how much the commission fee is, as long as it is there, it is good enough.
The moment he opened the door, Harold seemed to feel the turbid air blowing in his face. The warm yellow light in the tavern seemed to illuminate the suspended dust, making the stench of alcohol and sweat in the tavern smell even more pungent.
Harold resisted the urge to cough and walked in calmly. The mercenaries' eyes were all on him. The wine glasses on the table and the scimitars and ornaments dropped on the low chairs proved that they had been drinking or resting not long ago.
Harold reached out and touched the golden brooch on his chest, looked around, and recognized the dark-skinned, black-haired woman at a glance.
Deshia immediately noticed the glowing golden brooch on his chest, and stood up, sword in hand, and walked towards him.
Seeing that Dixia was willing to take the order, the other mercenaries continued to do their own things disappointedly, drinking or sleeping, no longer paying attention to their image in front of their employers.
That is the famous Fiery Mane Lion, renowned for her strength and fighting skills. She also pays attention to her appearance and will use part of her commission to buy cosmetics and accessories. Even in the desert, if conditions permit, she will look for water to clean her body and hair. So she looks beautiful and delicate, and when you approach her, you can smell the faint fragrance emanating from her skin and clothes.
These mercenaries often did not take a bath for ten days or half a month. Although no one took off their shoes and socks and put their shoes on the table in the tavern owned by Master Dolly, they still exuded a sour and smelly smell on their bodies and heads.
When their eyes fell on a self-disciplined and strong colleague like Dixia, although they did not understand what she did and thought it was a complete waste of money and time, they still inexplicably felt ashamed.
"Let's go upstairs and talk." said Dixia.
The second floor of the tavern was designed as small rooms according to Dolly's request, which was convenient for employers and mercenaries to discuss the content of the commission. The rooms were well soundproofed and could be used to discuss private issues. However, for most mercenaries on the first floor, it was ridiculous to spend energy eavesdropping on other people's commissions.
Harold nodded, and went up to a small room on the second floor with Dixia, and used elemental power to light the hanging lamp on the wall.
"You are also the owner of the Eye of God?" Dixia was a little surprised, and her ice-blue eyes widened slightly.
"Yes, but my Eye of God is of rock attribute and cannot meet my needs." Harold took out the Eye of God from his pocket and let it float in his palm.
"This is the first time I've seen the Eye of God without an ornament." Dixia's eyes followed the special Eye of God of Rock Element until Harold put it back.
She admitted that Harold aroused her curiosity. His age, appearance, and the divine eyes he possessed all interested her.
"Well, let's talk about the commission. I have heard about it from Master Dolly. If she hadn't come to me, I wouldn't have known that I had accepted her commissions several times.
——You need me to cooperate with you in research? Tell me first what I need to do specifically, and I will estimate the salary you need to pay based on your requirements. "Dixie put her hands on the table and looked at Haroldt.
Although she was only seventeen years old, she was already a regular at this table. She was as tall as fifteen-year-old Harold, and the strong muscles in her arms, thighs, waist and abdomen made her look very powerful.
Being watched by the narrow eyes, Harold said slowly: "I am studying the hybridization of the Trickster Flower. You should have heard about this from Dolly. I want to use the pollen of the Lightning Trickster Flower to pollinate the Fire Trickster Flower.
This cannot be done using the normal artificial pollination process, so I need your fire elemental power. Um... the specific principle is a bit complicated to explain, so I'll put it simply.
I need you to attach a certain amount of fire elemental force to the pollen of the lightning attribute deception flower without triggering an elemental reaction, disguising it as the pollen of the fire attribute deception flower. While controlling the concentration of the elemental force, you also need to pay attention to controlling the temperature so as not to inactivate the pollen—"
Dixia, who had never been to school, was confused. "Wait, wait, wait! I don't understand what you said at all. What about camouflage pollen, pollen inactivation, etc.? I don't understand at all. You just want me to add fire element to the pollen according to your requirements, right?"
Harold nodded: "That's understandable."