"Harley, do you really believe he can do it? He's just a mercenary, not even a warrior," Durun's expression became calm as he sat in the carriage compartment, unlike his previous indifference in Sean's cottage. It seemed his earlier change of expression was just a nobleman's tactic.
Harley's expression wasn't as calm as Durun's; he seemed somewhat uncertain. "Based on my investigation, he did indeed come out of that forest. At this point, we have no choice but to trust him. If we can't deliver the goods within the deadline..."
"I understand," Durun nodded, not saying anything more. "Then let's do everything as he said."
With Harley's signal, the carriage parked outside Sean's door finally moved forward.
Inside the house, Sean watched the carriage depart, but his expression wasn't as relaxed as when he conversed with Harley and Durun. He knew very well that there was no one in this world who understood the terrifying nature of the Starfall Forest better than him. If they were merely passing through the forest to reach the Minord region, he wouldn't be too nervous. After all, back in the early days of the game, he had often traversed the Starfall Forest to sell goods in the Minord region to avoid taxes.
So, he remembered very clearly how to safely and efficiently cross the Starfall Forest to reach Minord.
However, traveling to the Kingdom of Potoroya posed a considerably greater challenge.
"Should we decline this mission then?" Cecilia looked at Sean, her brows furrowed. "I don't like that fat man anyway."
Seeing Cecilia's worried expression, Sean finally relaxed his brows. "This mission is indeed challenging, but we can make a handsome profit from it. We're in dire need of money right now."
"But even without money, aren't we living well enough at the moment?"
"We might be living decently now, but are you going to stay as my apprentice forever?" Sean ruffled Cecilia's hair and smiled. "You have incredible talent, and I won't let you waste your time here. Doing missions with me will give you practical experience, but it will also impact your meditation and study time. So, to make up for that, we need a sufficient number of magic crystals to accelerate your training."
Cecilia pursed her lips and didn't say anything more.
Although she was young, it didn't mean she didn't understand anything. At least, she could tell who genuinely cared for her.
Watching Cecilia's departing figure, Sean's gaze once again turned towards the direction the carriage had gone.
In fact, there was one more thing he hadn't mentioned: he needed a large amount of experience points to level up. Only then could he survive better in this world, as it was a world where strength was revered. In the Miracle Continent, young people of Sean's age were at least second-tier professionals, and some so-called geniuses had reached the fourth tier or even higher.
However, Sean was stuck at the first tier due to the issue of experience points, which naturally left him feeling somewhat helpless. After completing the "Wandering Darkness" dungeon, his level had increased to six, but advancing to a second-tier profession required the mercenary level to reach ten. For that, he needed a significant amount of experience points. Sean was well aware that what truly limited his development was not the professional barriers feared by people in this world but the "experience points" that they couldn't comprehend.
Although Sean didn't know the specific method of obtaining experience points, he had at least learned one thing from a month of training and the "Wandering Darkness" dungeon: the higher the difficulty of a mission, the more experience points one gained. Additionally, it seemed that battles in dungeons also yielded experience points.
Knowing these two points, Sean believed that he could quickly reach level ten and then embark on a second-tier profession.
And that was one of the main reasons why he accepted this mission. The other reason was naturally because the Kingdom of Potoroya was one of the few major magic-based kingdoms in the northern part of the Miracle Continent. For Cecilia's future growth, he had to visit this kingdom.
In the following days, Sean didn't busy himself with anything else. He and Cecilia continued with their usual activities. Of course, if someone came to their door with a request, Sean wouldn't refuse, even if it was something as trivial as finding a lost cat or dog. After all, any commission would contribute to his experience points. The accumulation of small amounts would eventually become significant.
In fact, there were several mercenary groups in Hadas Town, but it wasn't that Sean didn't want to join them. They simply didn't consider him worthy because his current profession was only a first-tier "mercenary." So, he didn't bother seeking out unnecessary trouble. However, a few mercenary groups had heard of Cecilia's existence and tried to invite her to join. Unfortunately, she rejected them, which resulted in resentment towards both Sean and Cecilia.
But neither Sean nor Cecilia cared about such matters.
On the fifth day after Harley and Durun's departure, Durun knocked on Sean's door once again during a tranquil dawn.
"Are you ready?" Sean glanced at Durun, who was already in full armor, and calmly asked.
"I am ready. I want to ask you if we can depart immediately," Durun said solemnly, devoid of the previous frivolity and impatience. He exuded a true knight's aura rather than a noble's presence. "If possible, we should leave now. The others are already waiting at the edge of the forest."
"Of course, there's no problem," Sean nodded.
A few days ago, Sean and Cecilia had already prepared everything. Sean had noticed the serious expression on Harley and Durun's faces and expected them to come find him within two days. However, it had been six days, indicating that they considered this mission to be very serious.
Without much time for small talk, Sean and Cecilia boarded the carriage that Durun had brought. They headed towards the Starfall Forest.
The Starfall Forest was not too far from Hadas Town but also not particularly close. By the time the three of them reached the edge of the forest, it was already nightfall.
As they disembarked from the carriage, Sean noticed a temporary camp set up at the forest's edge. Many people were busy there, and there were occasional shouts. It was evident that the camp was more than just ten people. It seemed to be a medium-sized or larger merchant convoy.
This scene didn't faze Sean.
"This is just a diversion," Durun said, noticing Sean's furrowed brow. "The only ones truly crossing the Starfall Forest are the ten people, including you. However, I couldn't invite a priest to join us. So apart from you, Cecilia, Harley, and myself, there are three of Harley's bodyguards, two archers, and one warrior with some knowledge of first aid."
"First aid?" Sean subconsciously asked upon hearing that term.
"Yes," Durun replied, finding Sean's reaction somewhat strange but not feeling puzzled about it. "I also know a bit about first aid, although not as skilled as Old Peter. He's a true warrior."
Hearing Durun's words, Sean had a good idea. Old Peter, as he was called, was unlikely to be a second-tier warrior. He could be a third-tier Elite Soldier or Veteran. If that were the case, Sean's confidence in this mission grew even stronger, as he knew that both Elite Soldiers and Veterans were formidable within their respective tiers. It was just a pity that only NPCs could choose those classes.
Led by Durun, Sean quickly met the other six individuals who were already prepared in the camp. However, the meeting didn't appear very friendly.
"Are you saying we have to follow the orders of this brat throughout the entire journey?" a middle-aged man with a beard frowned upon hearing Harley and Durun's introduction. "He's just a mercenary! How can these greedy scum be qualified?"
Sean glanced at the wooden bow on the middle-aged man and then turned to face another middle-aged man, similar in age but emanating a solemn and murderous aura. "What's your name?" he asked.
"Pete," the middle-aged man replied, glancing at Sean. Although there was a hint of disdain in his eyes, years of military habits prevented him from opposing Sean's authority. "They all call me Old Peter."
A golden light flashed in Sean's eyes.