Once Sarcony and co. entered the spiritual space, they were greeted by a forest scenery while an ethereal voice resounded in their minds, at the same time. It went as follows;
Spiritual space Assessment mission:
[You're a 6-member mercenary (soldiers of fortune) team, White wolves, hired by the Shu Empire to assist in the wartimes as border patrol. Tasks to be completed:
Set 1: Loyal bunch
1. Remain loyal to the employers: Help the Shu Empire win the war and gain their trust.
2. Legacy runners: Find the lost Statue of Perseverance and surrender it to the Shu Empire
3. The Guardian: Protect the Diadem of 7 Virtues from being stolen by foreign spies
Set 2: Devious folk
1. Crafty wolves: Betray the Shu Empire by assisting the foreign spies trespassing the boundaries
2. How rude: Find the lost Statue of Perseverance and destroy it completely
3. Shameless: Steal the Diadem of 7 Virtues and had it over the foreign spies
Set 3: Indifferent gang
1. Monks who abhor Samsara: Annul the hiring contract with the Shu Empire and withdraw
2. Least we can do: Find the Statue of Perseverance and fulfil its last request/regret
3. Ray of light: Understand the true nature of the Diadem of 7 Virtues
You can choose to complete any of the three sets. The choice of the set doesn't affect the assessment, only your performance while task completion does.
Time remaining until random assignment: 3 Lunar units]
" What do you girls want to do about this? " (Sarcony) " I'll follow your choice, Onee sama. " (Mo'er) " Me too, sis. " (Sakura) " We cannot decide until we meet the people of Shu Empire. " (Mark) " I second it. " (Lily) " But we don't have enough time to get acquainted with anyone. " (Maria)
They fell in thought as one lunar unit trickled away like sand in the hourglass. " I propose we pick set 3. If Shu empire is worthy of acquaintance, we can reforge an agreement and get hired again. If it isn't, we can simply go to a place that isn't ravaged by war and do something else. " (Maria)
" Not a bad idea. " (Sarcony) " We have about 2 lunar units left. " (Lily) " Alright, I, Maria, the vice-captain of the White wolves accepts the set 3 upon the orders of the captain Sarcony. " Maria declared causing the team to shine in a green effervescence. Another announcement rang;
[White wolves have accepted set 3. Please proceed to fulfil the tasks mentioned:
Set 3: Indifferent gang
1. Monks who abhor Samsara: Annul the hiring contract with the Shu Empire and withdraw
2. Least we can do: Find the Statue of Perseverance and fulfil its last request/regret
3. Ray of light: Understand the true nature of the Diadem of 7 Virtues
Time remaining until task completion: 6 months]
The team proceeded to the military headquarters based on the "memories" of the mercenaries they became, all adult males and females. They were stopped by the guards of the General's tent.
" We wish to meet the General, let him know. " " Right away, miss " The soldier informed the General and got his consent to let them in. Once inside, " General, we, the mercenaries of the White wolves, wish to officially annul our contract with the Shu Empire. " " May I know the reason? " " None specifically. " " These venal mercenaries. " " Quiet, lieutenant. You are free to withdraw. We have no time or leeway to entertain sob stories of little girls, just get out of the camp before dawn. "
With the annulment of the contract, the White wolves left the border of Shu Empire and went into the snowing forests that surrounded it. In there, they encountered a pack of wolves. " Wouldn't be White wolves if not riding them. " Sarcony joked at the ambush. She, Mo'er and Sakura then proceeded to subjugate and then train the enormous wolves into potential mounts for their team.
" General, why did you let them go, just like that? " " They are hired mercenaries, not some trained veterans. Also, they were just border patrol, so, no fear of leaking any national secrets. Also, white wolves are known for their honesty and strength. They are an asset but not valuable enough to fight for or silence to prevent the enemy from gaining strength. " " I understand, sir. "
The White wolves went all the way to the Kai kingdom that is a literal border to the known hospitable world of this realm. It was a peaceful country in terms of diplomacy but was prone to beast attacks from the snowy jungles that surround it on three sides and the ocean right behind.
" The weather does support my water dantain nature but I hate cold weather. " (Sarcony) " And I have it even worse, it opposes my dantain nature. " (Mo'er) " I kinda like it. " (Sakura) " I hate this place's weather. " (Maria, the sun-loving girl) " I'm okay with it, I guess. " (Lily) " ... " (Mark)
" My dear teammates, we are here to have a dip in the kingdom's famous hot springs and find the clues for the statue of perseverance so, why don't we hurry? " Sarcony sighed at her teammates looking no different from withered plants slumped on their wolves like sacks of potatoes, drowsy and tired.
They soon reached the high ramparts of the Kai kingdom. " Who goes there? " a soldier, seeing their foggy figures from afar, walked in to investigate only to tremble in horror. ~~aaahhh~~ he shouted, collapsed and fainted. It took a lunar unit (5 earth minutes) for him to recover and wake up.
" You..you, who are you? " the soldier desperately tried to distance himself and spoke with a scared tone. " We are the White wolves mercenaries. We just came here to visit the country. We mean no harm. " Sarcony coaxed him like convincing a child, pasting an 'I am harmless' grin on her face. It was a funny sight, prompting her teammates' giggles. Sarcony laughed as well, easing the atmosphere.
" Wh..White wolves mercenaries. I will let the captain know, please wait at the gate. " The soldier escorted them to the gate and then ran like his life depended on it. Sarcony then crouched low and spoke, " Thank you for assisting us, friends, you are free now, you may leave if you wish. " the wolves gave a sad howl and snuggled against her, expressing their dissent at their newly earned freedom.
After travelling with the group for a fortnight and experiencing their affection, the wolf pups grew completely dependent on their presence to keep themselves happy. Telling them to leave made them melancholic. They whined in protest, wagging their tails and acting cute. The girls were all knocked out by their adorable faces, despite them being large enough to carry adults.
" Are you the White wolves? " a muscular man walked up to them along with the trembling soldier from earlier. " Yes, we are the White wolves, unaffiliated mercenaries. We are here to enjoy the hot springs in your country. " " Oh! what about those Crescent wolves you have around? "
" Crescent wolves? " " Yes, the strongest species among the spiritual beasts that exist in the world. It is impossible for anyone to tame them, especially humans towards whom they have contempt at best and hatred at worst. " " We haven't exactly tamed them, they are just our friends. " " Friends huh? are you sure we can actually believe you? What if you used forbidden rituals to tame them? "
" Forbidden rituals? " " Can you show proof of your innocence? can you make me believe you haven't done any malpractices? I'll let you enter only if you do so. " " And how do you propose we do that? " (Maria) " An earnest battle of course. It will decide everything. " " How does a battle explain our innocence? " (Mo'er) " It gives me a glimpse of your discipline, after all "
" So we just have to wring your old bones huh, got it. Mo'er, lets... " " Wait, ojou san, it isn't me you should fight with, it is the old guardian of our kingdom, Mantle sama. " " Wait did you just say, Mantle? " " Yes I did, but I beseech you to use honorifics while referring to our guardian. "
" Sorry. So we should defeat the guardian to enter the city? " " Defeat the guardian, you are dreaming. Just get his approval, it is more than enough. You can't even scratch is toes after all. " " Is that so? well, lead us there, will ya? " " Please follow me. " the general led them to a cave system.
" This is the entrance to the shrine of the Guardian. Proceed with prudence. May the guardian deity bless you with good health and peace. " " I thought you were hostile? " " I wasn't hostile, just careful. " " Let's go girls ....and boy, we are going to defe....meet the guardian deity. "