Translator: Wuxia Dog Editor: Wuxia Dog
Supper was prepared within a short time. It was simple with just some bread, cheese and fried eggs, deserving the tens of silver coins each day. But they all enjoyed it very much and didn’t leave a morsel of food on their plates.
Moxinke was still in bad mood after dinner.He went to his bedroom early. But Han Jin was excited. It’s said that the Isolated Cliff City was a city with lights turning on all night. Anyway, he wanted to go around and see it by himself. Cessacioun had the same idea. Sunier and Miss Keeley also joined them. They went out together.
There were nine commercial corps and a powerful Association of Mercenaries in this city, thus guards of those commercial corps and mercenaries could be seen everywhere. In such a city, the three industries of alcohol,whoringand gambling must be well developed.
Back to a city of human beings after getting some money through risking their lives, mercenaries need relax and vent. Living under high pressureall the time made one collapse. Thus the Isolated Cliff City was swarmed with bars, and in some streets, you could seedensely packedbars standing in rows.
There were no special places for whoring or gambling. Bars could provide both of the services. Barmaids dressed up like colorful butterflies and wandered around tables with their asses wriggled. If the price was agreed, the guest could go upstairs with a barmaid and enjoy his special treatment. Bars also provided places for gamblers. For the mercenaries, bars were their second homes. They could drink some cups of beer, call some barmaids upstairs and then came back drinking again. If they like, they could shake the elbows to try their luck. What a degage life it was… provided that theycould make money first.
Han Jin and Cessacioun walked aheadand chatted with each other stealthily all the way. After hearing the introduction by Cessacioun, Han Jinwas eager to enter into one of the bars on his own. But there were two tails following him, and all the money was kept by Sunier. He was ashamed to ask money from her for some improper purposes and had to give up his intention.
“Where is the Association of Mercenaries, Cessacioun?” He asked.
“Don’t know.” Cessacioun shook his head.
“But you’ve been to this Isolated Cliff City before, haven’t you?”
“No. Who said I have been here before?”
“You are so familiar with…”
“The bars in Isolated Cliff City are very famous. I heard this from someone else.” Cessacioun laughed.
“I thought you are a regular customer of there.” Han Jinwas a bit disappointed.
“Don’t kid me. I don’t have the money to waste.”Cessacioun blinked his eyes: “Regular customer? You want me to take you…”
“Forget it, I want nothing.”Han Jinchanged the topic immediately. “Do you know where the Association of Mercenaries is, Sunier?” He asked.
“I don’t know.”
At this time, a crisp voice said: “Need a guide, my Lord?”
Han Jin turned around and saw a bony boy aged twelve or thirteen standing there. His face was full of childish, and his cloth was ragged but clean. A long sword was hung at his waist, too long to match his height and nearly touched the ground.
“A guide?”
“Yes, my Lord, I only chargethree silver coins a day, it’s a low price.” The boy said.
“You are good at doing business, aren’t you, kid? It’s already late and you charge us three silver coins just by leading us around for a while?”Cessacioun laughed. Although they were kind of rich people now, they remained their old ideological concepts about money, especially Cessacioun, who had traveled around all year round in the past and had gone through many difficulties due to lack of money. Thus, he was particularly money-saving.
“I mean a whole day, My Lord, from now on to this time tomorrow. I will be with you all the time during this period as long as you require.”The young boy said confidently.
“What’s your name?”Han Jin asked.
“You can call me little Joseph.”
“Well, you are hired, little Joseph. Take us to the Association of Mercenaries first.” Han Jin said with his head nodding.
“Do you need a carriage, my Lord?”
“No, we will walk.”
A look of swift disappointment flashed in little Joseph’s eyes. But he concealed it immediately by a smile. “Follow me, my Lord.” He said.
Both Han Jin and Cessacioun noticed the expression on the kid’s eyes. Cessacioun laughed in a low voice:”Little boy… he should test us. Fear that we can’t afford the pay?”
“Maybe he just wondered if he can get some tip.” Han Jin said with smile.
The Association of Mercenaries was not far from them. Only twenty minutes later, they saw a tall, magnificent stone building standing in front of them, before it there was a spacious square, which was lit up as bright as daylight by hundreds of large torches around it.
Professionals gathered in the square. It’s easy to identify their professions by their wearing. They were soldiers, knights, magicians and archers. None of them were the weak.
“My Lord, if you want to receive tasks as mercenaries, you’d better get some knowledge about the Tarasha mountains first. You can ask me for advice. My consulting fee was also cheap. Fifty silver coins only.” Joseph smiled with his white teeth displayed.
“Consulting fee?” Han Jin laughed.
“It’s not funny, my Lord.”Joseph said solemnly: “There are fourteen magic transferring circles in the Association of Mercenaries which can send mercenaries to the depth of the Tarasha mountains. Do you know the exact coordinates of each transferring circle? Do you know what you shall pay attention to when you have been transferred there? What kinds of holy animals you shall be careful? And to protect the mercenaries, the Association also established some permanent shelters in the Tarasha mountains, if you come across some unconquerable holy animals, do you know where to flee?”
Han Jin and Cessacioun were rendered speechless by the kid’s words.
“Your lives are more valuable than fifty silver coins, aren’t they?”
“You know all about this?” Han Jin asked dubitatively.
“All of this.” Little Joseph replied proudly.
Sunier came from behind with a smile and flicked her fingers. A golden coin was bounced to Joseph. He caught it agilely and looked at it carefully before putting it to his pocket.
“You have already had your consulting fee. Now tell us about these.” Sunier said softly.
“The whole golden coin is mine?” Joseph said with a canny expression on his face.
“Yes, as long as your introduction is to our satisfaction.”
Cessacioun twitched his mouth and murmured: “Prodigal elf.”
“You are a group of mercenaries?” Joseph cast a glance at all of them and asked.
“Yes.” Han Jin laughed.
“Then I suggest you’d better not to take the risk, because you have no strong soldiers.”
“What kind of introduction it is!” Han Jin was about to say this, a dramatic wave of magic was transmitted from behind the square suddenly. The professionals there turned uproarious.
