Chapter 173: The Reward from a Thousand Years Ago

Negris, who had just criticized those as what kind of weird potions, soon felt his face slapped hard, crackling with each strike.

"Topical application, petrifies limbs, reduces sensitivity, increases hardness— isn't this that XX divine oil?"

"Vasodilator, side effect is enlargement and thickening— damn, this potion isn't for heart disease, it's designed for men, isn't it?"

"And what about the pregnancy potion? I ask you— can dragons use this?"

"Why are all your potion concepts so… so… so… are these even legitimate potions? Can they even be made?"

Sawa hunched her head, nodding like a chick pecking grain, her face innocent as she explained: "Most of these were the teacher's ideas—he always said there are three kinds of people whose money is easiest to make: devout believers, beauty-obsessed women, and impulsive men. Believers belong to the gods, women's money is hard to earn, so he told me to design something for men, and so…"

"That's not wrong," Negris asked. "Lisa and Silvercoin probably agree with your teacher's view—have you made any money?"

Sawa shook her head: "These are just concepts. I have a rough idea, but I couldn't secure investment, so none were made."

"Good. We'll invest. Modify the pregnancy potion so dragons can use it."

…

Leaving under cover of night, they headed to Lorlan City, a hundred kilometers away—the nearest major human city to the Black Mountain Duchy, and home to the largest mercenary guild within a thousand-kilometer radius.

Ange removed his straw hat, summoned his soul armor, wrapped himself tightly in it, then slung the false hammer, wrapped in the Holy Shroud, over his back and entered the guild hall.

Due to its scale, this guild hall was far grander than the one in Black Mountain Duchy: massive stone pillars supported a ten-meter-high ceiling, making the space feel vast; people came and went, yet the hall remained eerily quiet.

Why had Ange removed his hat and summoned his soul armor? Because in a mercenary guild, this attire made him blend in. Ange felt the same sensation as his first time entering the Lich City—faces of all kinds of species, bizarre outfits, even wildly different styles of body paint.

A orc with a nose ring, painted in vibrant colors, marched over aggressively; noticing Ange staring, it glared at him fiercely.

A dark-skinned elf, covered in intricate tattoos, exposed nearly every inch of skin, passed nearby, then suddenly turned to glance at Ange, frowned in confusion, and walked away.

Negris was surprised: "The environment is far more tolerant than it was thousands of years ago."

A thousand years ago, orcs and dark elves appearing on Church of Light territory would have been forced to wear collars—these outsiders could only appear as slaves in the human world.

Ange had noticed this change in Black Mountain Duchy: Vania moved boldly among crowds, and everyone treated it as normal, showing no special reaction. He'd assumed it was because of the minotaur's reputation, since minotaurs were the most friendly to humans.

But now seeing orcs and dark elves treated the same way, it was clearly not an isolated case.

Ange also looked around curiously. The most prominent feature in the hall was the magic notice board directly opposite the entrance, where brief messages scrolled continuously:

S-Class Task: Eradicate insect plague in Black Mountain Duchy. Reward: One million magic crystals. Posted: Five days ago.

S-Class Task: Recover the Earth Holy Hammer. Reward: One million magic crystals. Posted: Five days ago.

SS-Class Task: Cure the withering disease of the World Tree. Reward: Ten million magic crystals, plus the friendship of the elves. Posted: Two years ago.

SS-Class Task: Eliminate the Fallen Angel. Reward: Ten million magic crystals, plus the blessing of the Church of Light. Posted: Seven months ago.

SSS+ Class Task: Kill Bonehard Rock. Reward: One hundred million magic crystals. Return the complete skeleton for an additional three hundred million magic crystals. Posted: One thousand three hundred and sixty years ago.

All scrolling tasks were S-Class or higher; high-level tasks were rare. On the only SSS-Class task, Ange saw a familiar name.

"Rock," Ange said, pointing at the notice board.

His intent was for Negris, projected onto his body, to see it—but no sooner had he spoken than a soft laugh came from behind: "Hey, definitely a rookie. Every rookie who walks into a mercenary guild gets hooked by this SSS+ task that's been hanging for thirteen hundred years. How's it feel? Total reward: four hundred million. Higher than many empires' GDP. Any interest?"

Ange turned to see a middle-aged mercenary smiling. Seeing Ange look back, he said: "First time in a guild? Registered as a mercenary yet? Want to know where to take tasks? Want to know which tasks pay better and save time? Want to know how to level up faster and get lower commission cuts?"

Ange shook his head honestly.

"Didn't know? That's right. My nickname is Mercenary King—I'm the guide for rookies like you. For just three gold coins, you'll get all this information, and smoothly register as a mercenary. How's that? Very reasonable, right?"

Ange shook his head. Negris suddenly realized: "Ah, a middleman. Charging three gold coins just to point the way? He's insane?"

"Not reasonable? Or don't you need it? Listen, I've got connections inside. If you go alone, registration is nearly impossible. Three gold coins isn't expensive—I have to bribe people too."

Ange shook his head. He wasn't here to register as a mercenary—he was here to submit a task. He ignored the middle-aged mercenary king and turned toward the counter beneath the notice board.

Perhaps because there were no new recruits, the middle-aged man's middleman business hadn't opened. Seeing Ange walk away, he hurried after him:

"Newcomers get ripped off easily here. The lower your mercenary rank, the higher the guild's commission. I can register you and skip the probationary stage—save you a lot. If you spend a little, I've got mid-level mercenary credentials for sale too."

"You've got quite the full-service operation," Negris chuckled. "But I recall—S-Class tasks don't take commission. The reward is paid directly by the poster."

Ange reached the counter beneath the notice board and said: "Task submission."

Behind the counter sat a pale, plump woman filing her nails with a stone stick. Without looking up, she said: "Check the board. High-level tasks go here. Lower ones go next door."

"S-Class task," Ange said. He flipped his palm, and the Earth Holy Hammer, wrapped in the Holy Shroud, appeared in his hand. He unwrapped it, gripped the haft, infused it with holy light, and placed it on the counter.

The Earth Holy Hammer blazed with radiant light, then CRACKED—crushing the counter and smashing into the floor.

The pale woman behind the counter froze like a statue, only her toes—nearly crushed by the hammer—jerking backward. Behind him, the middle-aged mercenary collapsed onto the floor in terror.

Word that someone had submitted an S-Class task spread instantly through the entire hall.

PS: Second vaccine shot in 21 days. Felt sleepy after. Took a nap. Chapter two will be later.