"Oh?" Hilda blinked her eyes. "So, did you also take a commission from that girl?"
"Of course!" Feld nodded, paused for a moment, then said, "I received the pride and joy, along with a hearty lunch handmade by her grandmother. It was the best meal in the world!"
Hilda smiled again. "Then... my commission to you is my sword!"
"My sword will shield you from attacks aimed at your back!"
Romantic Hilda, Feld felt like he was going to be enchanted by her if they kept talking like this.
"I'm very satisfied with this commission!" Feld said earnestly.
Then he stood up and said, "Well, I should be going."
Hilda was taken aback for a moment, then she said somewhat reluctantly, "Aren't you going to stay a bit longer?"
"I still want to hear more stories about mercenaries from you."
Feld smiled happily. "Later, Hilda. The stories of mercenaries could go on for three days and nights, but mercenaries have to do their missions immediately, or else there wouldn't be so many stories to tell you, right?"
"That's true..." Hilda nodded, pursing her lips, then said with some anticipation, "Then remember, two days from now, at 8 a.m., I'll be waiting for you at the teleportation square in the academy."
"We'll go to the Norflackra Forest together."
"Of course, the most important thing for an excellent mercenary is reputation!" Feld nodded.
Then he beckoned to the little cat, got up, and moved to an empty space, activating a teleportation array.
Watching Feld enveloped by the teleportation array, Hilda waved her hand somewhat reluctantly. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye," Feld smiled, and then disappeared with Chi Chi into the light of the teleportation array.
Hilda stood there until the residual magical light from the teleportation array dissipated, then turned around and walked back to the pavilion, eating the pastry biscuit Chi Chi had nibbled down to three pieces.
She hummed a tune softly, looking very cheerful.
She was looking forward to the trip to the Norflackra Forest in two days, as well as Feld's visit tomorrow.
She remembered that Feld said he would come again tomorrow to spar with her and familiarize himself with her combat skills, to forge a unique sword for her.
Thinking of this, the curve of her lips became even more pronounced, and her face was filled with vitality.
...
Heidu Inner City, Teleportation Square.
After landing, Feld sighed with relief.
Hilda was even cuter than he had imagined, but unfortunately, this kind of cuteness was a bit too much for him.
You should focus on your work, Feld. You're an excellent mercenary, don't let Hilda distract you.
He slapped his cheeks and then headed towards the Iron Tavern.
Originally, he was going to find Vina, but Hilda intercepted him, so it would have to wait until next time.
Now he had to deliver the lighter to Raymond. Although he promised it for tomorrow, delivering it early would surely make Raymond even happier.
Sure enough, Raymond, who received the lighter early, was overjoyed and even invited Feld to dinner and drinks. Feld and Chi Chi enjoyed a hearty meal for free.
It was evident that Raymond really cherished the lighter, holding it and playing with it constantly.
When Raymond was happy, Feld was happy. Why?
Because during dinner, Raymond gave him some information—tonight, Baron Zachary's mansion would host a party, and all mercenaries and bounty hunters involved in Baron Zachary's organization's actions could participate.
In other words, it was a mobilization party for tomorrow's little war.
Perfect. Feld could use this opportunity to investigate and prepare for the upcoming operation, saving him from going to that darn building institute for blueprints.
Don't forget, Feld was also a mercenary, and he could participate in this operation as a mercenary.
So after dinner with Raymond, Feld, accompanied by Chi Chi, headed towards Baron Zachary's mansion, conveniently arriving just in time for the party that evening.
Looking at the brightly lit mansion, Feld chuckled. "Quite lively, isn't it?"
The Zachary Manor was large, with the courtyard alone bigger than a football field. By now, the yard was filled with long tables and delicacies, surrounded by exquisite decorations, and a band was playing music there. Mercenaries and bounty hunters were either gathering to drink and chat or dancing to the music, appearing to be very merry.
After showing their mercenary identity cards and stating their purpose, the guards at the mansion didn't cause any trouble and let the two of them in. It could be said that any mercenary or bounty hunter willing to participate in this operation could join the party.
When Feld entered with Chi Chi, they also attracted many people's attention. This time, people were not attracted by his massive physique but by his reputation.
"Look at that big guy, that's Feld!"
"The new mercenary?"
"I heard he single-handedly wiped out the Sea Serpent Gang!"
"Is that true?"
"It can't be false. Didn't you see how the boss of the Crab Gang, Sains, looks at him like a dog seeing its master?"
"Then this guy must be at least Platinum rank, right?"
"I don't know, but I heard he's Gold rank..."
"Impossible. Gold rank definitely couldn't wipe out the Sea Serpent Gang. I bet he's Platinum rank, or the story of wiping out the Sea Serpent Gang is just a rumor!"
Listening to a group of mercenaries discussing, Feld paid no attention and went to a long table, grabbed a bottle of wine, and took a sip. Although he had just eaten, Feld had a big appetite, and his stomach still had room, so he could fill it up a bit more.
But soon he bumped into an acquaintance. "Big brother, you're here too?"
At the sound of this, Feld looked up and saw Sains standing in front of him with a smile on his face, accompanied by two little brothers who also nodded and bowed to Feld, showing a very low posture.
Feld raised his eyebrows. "Are you here to pitch in too?"
"Yeah, it's a mission issued by Baron Zachary, with a good commission. I brought over a dozen brothers with me."
"If it weren't for the rank requirements, I'd have called over the 250 or so brothers."
The Crab Gang had now grown to over 250 people. After swallowing up the Sea Serpent Gang's assets, the Crab Gang had grown rapidly, attracting many young, strong men to join. It could be said that Sains was even more glorious now than before. Of course, he also knew that all of this was because of someone, so he didn't dare to act arrogantly in front of Feld. Another reason was that with more gang members, there were more expenses, and the assets had just been acquired, so they hadn't had a chance to generate value yet. That's why he brought his little brothers here to work and make money.
"Just so you know," Feld nodded. "You guys have fun, don't mind me. I'm just here to join in the fun."
"Hehe, alright, big brother, call me if you need anything."
"I know, go on." Feld waved his hand, indicating that he didn't want to be disturbed while he drank.
Then he grabbed a bottle of wine, a plate of snacks, leaned against a tree, and observed the crowd. He was looking for his mission target, Okot. He had seen his portrait at the Wolf Gang, but hadn't spotted him yet. But it didn't matter; he would drink first and then think about it.
Meanwhile, Chi Chi ran around, looking here and there out of curiosity. Firstly, she had never been to a wealthy person's mansion and found it very intriguing. Secondly, there were so many delicious foods here, and each table was different, so she wanted to taste them all. She was truly a little greedy cat.
Feld didn't mind. As long as she was within his line of sight, no one dared to harm her. After all, he had quite a reputation now, thanks to his fame as a mercenary. There was another benefit to his reputation: many people approached him to chat.
Most of them were there to make friends, while others were there to offer contracts. Since there were many mercenaries and bounty hunters gathered there, estimated to be around five to six hundred, some local intermediaries from Haidu also joined in, taking the opportunity to make connections or offer contracts.
Mercenaries and bounty hunters were willing to deal with them. After all, why not take up jobs that were offered? Feld didn't refuse them directly but politely declined while joking around.
Although these intermediaries didn't offer significant contracts, they were small and flexible, and some of them even had more intelligence than the intermediaries at the mercenary tavern. Feld didn't want to offend them as there would be plenty of opportunities to deal with them in the future.
Thus, Feld appeared very friendly at the moment. He chatted with everyone who came to talk to him, boasting a bit here and there, and soon became acquainted with a group of mercenaries and bounty hunters.
This made Feld somewhat distressed. He just wanted to quietly drink his wine and eat some snacks, so why did people start to gather around him again?
Before long, the party was halfway through when the host of the mansion appeared. He was a middle-aged man wearing a tall top hat, looking very elegant. He was accompanied by a lady and a few others, including a girl.
The girl was none other than Mansa!
But the Mansa now looked nothing like her ragged appearance from before. She was dressed in an evening gown, chin held high, and her face showed no signs of swelling or bruising. Instead, she appeared somewhat alluring.
This surprised Feld. Was the physician in Haidu so skilled? The injuries he caused would not have healed so quickly in just a few months, and she still wouldn't be able to chew her food properly. But looking at Mansa's smile and her intact teeth, it seemed as if there had never been any damage.
Feld almost thought that everything before was just his imagination. However, he also knew that it was the result of magic. After all, Baron Zachary was a wealthy man and could afford to hire a mage to heal his daughter's injuries. It was normal for her to recover so quickly.
After making some flattering remarks at the party, the Baron began to walk around with a glass in hand, chatting with various mercenaries and bounty hunters, appearing very friendly.
But Feld sneered inwardly. Why was the party held in the courtyard instead of indoors? Was it because there were too many people? Definitely not. It was simply because these noble gentlemen still looked down on mercenaries and bounty hunters from the bottom of their hearts.
Now they were just putting on a show, and you could see those unimportant mercenaries and bounty hunters being ignored when they were toasted by Baron Zachary. It was all just superficial. But Feld was pleasantly surprised to see Okot accompanying Baron Zachary.
No wonder he couldn't see him earlier; he was with Baron Zachary all along. It seemed that Okot had a good relationship with Baron Zachary.
Of course, it could also be because Okot was one of the few Platinum ranks present.