Chapter 473: Price and the Druid

Jeroen emitted a silent resonant force.

Shattered the magic ring that was playing the mercenary group's private gossip.

No more of this.

Deputy Tuanzhang Blanch Jones was another woman who had followed him, and her affair partner was none other than Jeroen's own son.

He had just returned home with his wife for a stroll; as soon as he opened the door, that bitch was tangled up with his son.

Not only that—it was in his bedroom!

He'd planned to drive her out, but his underage son had become utterly infatuated with her.

Even claimed he'd die for her.

His own wife was a fool, overly indulgent; after endless Jiuchan and interference.

Jeroen, the helpless father, could only let that bitch cling to the mercenary group.

So if this audio played any further, his reputation as Tuanzhang would be ruined.

"Eight hundred thousand, final offer! My mercenary brothers are many—I must give them some explanation!"

Luo De remained unsatisfied.

One million was still too much.

Just as he was about to speak, a strange woman's voice reached his ear.

It was a 【Message Spell】:

【Our lowest acceptable price is six hundred thousand.】

Luo De froze.

He glanced at the slender woman who had been silent behind the crocodile-man.

She looked slightly dazed, her finger lightly biting her lip.

Her gaze kept shifting over Luo De's face, eager and restless.

When she noticed Luo De looking at her, she boldly winked.

Not enough—added a flying kiss.

"."

Are you guys even a real mercenary group?

Feels like this lady has defected.

Luo De guessed this was the adulterous Blanch Jones.

After all, according to Xiao Ke's intel, Snowstorm Mercenary Group had only four seventh-rank members: three men and one woman—only she could be it.

It was the 【White Bull's Charm】 skill, the one used to seduce married women, kicking in again.

But this time, it was working in a positive direction.

Six hundred thousand?

Roughly matched his earlier estimate.

It was just money, after all—the girls' value far exceeded money.

Luo De cut straight to the point.

He said: "Sixty-five thousand. Before we officially slay the dragon, you must take responsibility for guarding Shi Ying Town and the forest's safety. Agree, or leave."

Crocodile-man Jeroen frowned tightly.

He had to admit.

This price landed exactly on his internal minimum threshold.

Plus, lately that bastard Lai Er had dragged him gambling and wiped out his savings.

After a moment's thought.

He finally nodded: "Fine. But you must pay 40% upfront, and your dragon-slaying must be completed within one year—or it's a breach of contract."

The Snowstorm Mercenary Group's dragon-slaying contract was settled.

When it came time to sign the formal agreement, Luo De summoned the witch Dimia and the old gentleman Humbert from the city hall.

He wasn't familiar with such matters—better leave it to those who dealt with contracts more often.

Dimia was shocked to learn Luo De intended to pay out of his own pocket to slay the dragon.

The witch had no idea Luo De had ways to earn money; she only knew he spent his days fooling around with girls in the forest, never acting serious.

One week away on a trip, and he returned with sixty-five thousand Jin Along to fund a dragon-slaying mission.

It was hard not to suspect he'd gone robbing on his trip.

Humbert was equally stunned.

He'd also contacted dragon-slaying teams before, but Coral Bay's situation was complicated, and the journey was long—either they demanded exorbitant prices or were weaklings trying to profit from chaos.

He never expected Luo De would personally spend such a huge sum to protect the town.

The old gentleman had lived his entire life in Shi Ying Town, deeply devoted to his homeland—he was moved and declared he'd sell his house to cover half the contract fee.

Dimia expressed the same sentiment.

But both had invested heavily on New Rank Street; their ventures had only just begun to show returns, so any assistance would be barely manageable.

Luo De refused them.

He had plenty of spare cash, and the dragon's corpse was valuable material—he could sell it for a good price.

Busy as they were, by the time the contract was officially signed, night had fallen.

The Snowstorm Mercenary Group members returned to prepare.

With a dragon-slaying team secured, Witch Dimia was overjoyed and suggested gathering at a restaurant for a small celebration.

Luo De had money and a place—why go to a restaurant when his own place was more comfortable?

Besides, several girls in the forest disliked crowds, so he simply bought a pile of ingredients in Shi Ying Town and took everyone to the farm for a barbecue party.

Luo De, the orc Amy, and the mare Bond were all big eaters.

By the end, the food wasn't enough, so they simply caught two sheep from the farm's pen on the spot.

Old gentleman Humbert hadn't eaten two bites when his stepdaughter and new wife, Tobeka, sent someone to summon him home.

The old man was a stubborn turtle; he apologized and left.

With him gone, the barbecue party became entirely dominated by women—only Luo De remained as the sole man.

Though even when he was there, it was mostly like that.

Luo De and Yuna were both acting as barbecue slaves.

He watched the girls either chatting in small groups.

There was the ghoul Pan Ni, the rabbit-girl Aona, and the witch Dimia discussing skincare and fashion trends.

There was the elf Kalist, the halfling Lily, and the zombie Selina debating spells.

There was the half-deer Xiao Ke and the tree spirit Wei Wei'an, who disliked socializing, hiding in the corner whispering.

And there were the female orc Amy, the mare Bond, and the giant squirrel Cui Qian, all wandering around waiting for meat, looking impatient.

There were also oddballs like the banshee Chris.

She claimed she was researching a new dish to make her famous overnight.

But upon closer look, she was just mixing together all kinds of bizarre ingredients.

Later, Luo De spotted it, walked over, and gave her a knuckle crack on the head—she burst into tears.

All in all, it still felt warm and cozy.

When the next round of drinks arrived at the barbecue, the tiefling Lin Saixier returned from completing a mercenary task.

She was warmly invited to join.

"By the way, this morning I saw a druid outside Shi Ying Town—she kept staring at the Windwall Forest. I went to speak with her, and she asked me if there was a tree spirit named Wei Wei'an inside the forest."

Lin Saixier's words instantly put Luo De on alert.

Because of the existence of the Spirit Seed—an extraordinary thing—the location and information of tree spirits were highly sensitive.

That's precisely why the Tree Spirit Protection Association had been formed.

Fortunately, Lin Saixier understood this.

She hadn't answered directly; instead, a few of her adventurer companions had argued slightly over the druid's tone.

"That druid felt very different—her natural energy was strange, not gentle and warm like Miss Wei Wei'an's, but cold and lonely, like the negative energy on Miss Pan Ni."

Lin Saixier said.

(End of Chapter)