Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
After 10 minutes, the lady who got down the carriage was a totally different person. Her heavy armor had been put away, and what replaced it was an ordinary black armor. This armor seemed to have been unworn for quite a few years, and its edge had become rather rough due to wear and tear.
However, it looked really good on Rina. Her slim figure that had been covered by her heavy metal armor was accentuated with the help of the black leather. Her golden hair that was hastily tied behind her head helped to reduce the menacing vibe she previously had, and gave her a kind of refreshing disposition young ladies like her should have. With her usual sword behind her, she really resembled a young and pretty female Adventurer.
“What’s wrong?” Rina asked worriedly after coming down from the carriage. She found Felic staring at herself in a daze. At that moment, she thought there was some problem with her disguise.
“Very well, like a true Adventurer…” Lin Li stared at Rina with a look of a critic. He sized her up for a while, but could not find anything to nitpick about.
“It will be better if you can make your face tanner. Female Adventurers who are too pretty may get into trouble easily…”
Upon hearing this young mage complimenting her beauty, Rina flushed. She decided to ignore the part about Lin Li asking her to tan her skin. How could a young lady in her 20s be willing to make her face as dark as the base of a cooking wok?
Lin Li did not insist. He would feel really guilty if he were to let such an attractive face turn any darker…
The four people arrived at Blackstone Town in less than half an hour by carriage.
The campsite Ujfalusi was talking about was not far away. Lin Li could clearly see over a hundred tents set up ahead of him; the largest of them was the one in the center. From that distance, this campsite was livelier than the market place. There were people of different gender and age groups, Mages and Warriors, as well as a Priest…
The person was not just a Priest. From the robe he was wearing, he looked like a Bishop from the Brilliance Shrine. That was not a joking matter. Bishops from the Brilliance Shrine were at least level-15 and above. They had ultra strong belief, and would rarely be willing to follow anyone. In the Breezy Plains, only colossuses like the Glittergold Trade Union could hire a Bishop-level Priest…
“Seems like a big shot…” Lin Li rubbed his nose and jumped down from the carriage. He led Norfeller and the others towards the campsite slowly.
When they were outside, Lin Li found an Adventurer in his 30s. He asked, “Brother, can you let us know something…?”
“You are…?”
“I’m an Adventurer from Doland, and these are my teammates. We heard that a big shot has been hiring people, so we are thinking to try our luck here…”
“Oh, so that’s why. Haha! Brother, let me tell you, you are in for a treat. Do you know who is hiring the Adventurers?”
Lin Li did not expect to meet such a chatty man. He only said a few words, and that dude continued the conversation so readily.
“I bet you don’t! Let me tell you, it is the Malfa Family that is behind all this.”
“Malfa Family?” Lin Li was stunned. “The Malfa Family from Aminya City?”
“That’s right,” said the middle-aged Adventurer proudly. “It is the Malfa Family from our Aminya City. I just found out two days ago too. The Malfa Family has been gathering Adventurers from Blackstone Town, and the reward they promised was huge too. As long as an Adventurer participates in a mission, they would earn 10,000 gold coins. Adventurers who performed well will even have the opportunity to join the mercenary corps under the Malfa Family. That’s far better than being an Adventurer who battles magical beasts all day.”
“That sounds good…” Lin Li replied smilingly, but he could not help but feel surprised. So it was the Malfa Family from Aminya City that wanted to battle the Crimson Python! The Malfa Family was really a big shot in the Breezy Plains, and they were not far behind the Glittergold Trade Union.
Although Lin Li had only been in the Breezy Plains for a few months, he had heard about the different families in the area. Among them, the Malfa Family was the most special one. The people in their family were not nobles, and the family had no long history. In fact, it did not even exist 200 years ago in the Breezy Plains. There was only a super Adventurer by the name of Leo Malfa back then. He was a true genius who had reached level-18 before the age of 30, and thus was the brightest newbie in the Breezy Plains.
At that time, all the forces in the Breezy Plains tried many different ways to persuade the talented level-18 Warrior to join them. The benefits all of them promised were so attractive that even Lin Li would waver if he were to hear them. Yet, Leo Malfa did not join any of the forces. Instead, he did something nobody could have imagined possible.
He used a period of two years to take over the underground forces of Aminya. Leo Malfa would appear in the compound of every dark business such as casinos and brothels. After gaining control of all of the underground businesses, Leo Malfa rewrote the rules, and reallocated the way the business reaped their profits. Finally, the chaotic Aminya transformed into the most orderly city in the entire Breezy Plains.
Under the support from all the businesses that had huge profits, the Malfa Family grew in power as days passed. In a short period of two years, the gangster family climbed to the position of a true ruler of Aminya City. Everyone knew that the political strength in Aminya did not lie in the hands of any castellan, but was hidden in the darkness, where the Malfa Family resided. As long as the leader of the Malfa Family opposed anything, the castellan of Aminya City sent by the country’s ruler would be kicked back to Alanna.
“Oh, yes. Brother, you haven’t signed up for it yet, right? Let me bring you to the registration room. The man in charge of registration is my relative. The process will definitely be easier if I help you talk to him.”
“We will trouble you, then… By the way, brother, I haven’t got your name. My name is Felic, a mage from Doland. These are my teammates: Norfeller, Ujfalusi, and Rina…”
When he was doing the introductions, Lin Li used his real name. Since they were a few hundred miles away from Doland, he was not afraid that people would recognize them.
“Cut the formalities. Brother, you can just call me Johnathan.”
“Alright, Brother Johnathan.”
Johnathan was very friendly. He brought the group for registration while he shared some gossip and hearsay with them. After arriving, they saw that the person in charge of hiring was a middle-aged man in his 40s. That man was short and skinny, and his sharp face made him resemble a monkey that could talk.
“Cousin Hahn, I’ve brought more people to you.” Johnathan smiled brightly to a middle-aged man at the registration counter.
“Oh, it’s you. Whom did you bring this time? Don’t bring a number of trashy level-7 and level-8 who claimed to be experts to me. Although the Malfa Family is wealthy, we don’t believe in feeding useless people. You’d better not find trouble for me again,” sneered the middle-aged monkey disdainfully. Lin Li could tell that he did not think highly of his younger cousin 1 , Johnathan.
“How could they be…” Johnathan replied, and the smile on his face froze.
“So you are the people Johnathan was talking about, aren’t you?” the middle-aged monkey asked. “This time, the Malfa Family is really hiring real Adventurers who can battle high-level magical beasts. After the completion of the mission, everyone will be able to get 10,000 gold coins as reward. Then, if your performance is good, you will have the chance to enter the Malfa mercenary corps. That being said, if you’re not competent, please don’t expect to earn the 10,000 gold coins when you could lose your life any moment…”
“Mr. Hahn, rest assured. If we didn’t have that ability, we would not dare to risk our lives like this—”
“Cut the crap…” interrupted Hahn impatiently with a wave of his arm, and threw a few pieces of paper towards them. “I’ve heard so many Adventurers say so that I’ve calluses in my ears. We will know your true abilities when time comes.
“These are some forms for you to fill out. You can pass them to Johnathan upon completion, and he will arrange your accommodation.”
“Alright, Mr. Hahn.” Lin Li bent his back to pick up the paper from the ground. Instead of feeling angry, he could not help but feel curious at the strength of the Malfa Family. What could make the man who was just in charge of administration so arrogant?
“Brother Felic, the temper of my cousin is just like that. Please don’t mind it… Oh, yes. I will settle your accommodation after you get that filled out.” Johnathan explained the situation to Lin Li awkwardly. No one knew if it was because of his elder cousin’s bad attitude or for his bragging earlier on.
“It’s alright,” Lin Li replied in a friendly tone. It was just the usual form that required them to fill in things like their names, age, address, occupation, and level. Lin Li completed the form very quickly, but when he was about to submit it to Johnathan, he saw the door curtain open, and there was someone he knew among the people walking into the tent…
