Louis Simi smiled and said, "Qian Nan! If you're going on a treasure hunt, I have an idea. There are many adventurers outside, and they charge reasonable prices, are experienced, and are much safer than your current team."
Louis Simi, with his experience in the magical items business, could tell that the five members of the Giant Axe Adventure Group were not extraordinary and would likely be cannon fodder in the face of danger, unable to protect Charlotte. Therefore, he suggested recruiting more people.
Although the adventurer teams outside probably didn't have any extraordinary individuals, since those who had already embarked on the extraordinary path wouldn't come to seek the White Wolf's test to gain the power of a demon hunter, having more people would generally be safer.
Charlotte's eyes lit up slightly, and he said, "Thanks for the suggestion, Louis. I'll consider recruiting some new members after Mr. White Wolf selects his inheritor."
White Wolf, not intending to rest, ordered his men to prepare breakfast and invited Louis and Charlotte to the dining room. He also sent food to Louis's subordinates and the members of the Giant Axe Adventure Group.
After breakfast, the three of them chatted for a while, and by then, the sky had completely brightened.
White Wolf, looking refreshed, left the large wooden house and shouted, "Youngsters, who among you wants to inherit my legacy?"
There was a thunderous roar from outside the cabin, as evidently, more people had arrived. Many had already left their accommodations and gathered near the cabin, waiting.
Time travelers, to some extent, all carry a bit of a dream!
Originally, Charlotte intended to work as a stable government employee and, if possible, marry a wealthy and beautiful woman like Miss Anne Brittany to elevate his social status without harboring too much ambition.
However, he never expected that Miss Meinelman, whom he saw as his backing, would be caught up in a political storm, forcing him to flee from the new warden, Magru Trelle.
If he had hesitated even a little at the time, he would have been pressured into doing things he didn't want to do, leading to a poor outcome, with the minimum being imprisonment for decades.
After all, the new warden had already planned to thoroughly investigate the case of him misappropriating the prison's extraordinary weapons, and being involved in such a case would be a devastating ordeal.
Louis Simi's offhand comment opened a significant door for Charlotte.
This world hasn't yet embraced the concept of "talent is the greatest resource."
But Charlotte knew that if he could muster an adventurer team of a few hundred people, it would be a formidable force.
He even began to contemplate various grand plans, such as cultivating land, raising a flag in rebellion, or pursuing other ventures for wealth. Given enough time, he could snowball his influence.
White Wolf's selection of an inheritor wasn't overly complicated; he first announced the criteria: must be under 20 years old. Then, he had the young aspiring demon hunters duel each other until one tall, muscular individual, full of sinewy muscles, emerged as the chosen one.
As the rest of the defeated adventurers were preparing to leave, Charlotte stepped out of the large wooden house and loudly declared, "I am Qian Nan, the leader of the Giant Axe Adventure Group! I need a group of people, with a weekly salary of one Foll. Is anyone willing to join?"
A weekly salary of one Foll wasn't high, but it certainly wasn't low either. It was quite attractive to the adventurers, especially those who had made a wasted trip to Yorktown and needed to recoup some income.
Low-level adventurers have unstable incomes, and overall, they earn far less than government employees. They generally don't pass up any opportunity to make money.
Someone immediately asked, "What kind of people do you need?"
Charlotte smiled and said, "This time, I need to transport some items. The more people, the better. Anyone who considers themselves strong and fit can join."
"But let me make it clear that I will withhold your first week's pay, and you'll receive your salary in the second week. Before payday, no one will be paid, and you are free to decide whether to continue with me or leave after the payment date."
Withholding part of the salary is standard practice in any industry on the Old Continent. After all, in this era, any employer who pays upfront risks never seeing the employee again.
The members of the Giant Axe Adventure Group couldn't help but glance at Charlotte. Maxton was curious how he suddenly became the leader, but after hearing about the weekly salary of one Foll, he hesitated and chose to remain silent, even giving a subtle hint to his four team members. He, too, wanted to earn this money.
Hannah and Hermosa had no objections; they were even more pleased to see the handsome and wealthy Charlotte become the team leader.
When they had arrived yesterday, there were only forty or fifty people outside the large wooden house, but now, there were one hundred fifty to one hundred sixty people, all from small adventurer teams. After some discussion among themselves, more than a dozen teams quickly agreed to join Charlotte.
To attract even more people, Charlotte added a "sweetener," smiling as he said, "I'll likely be employing you all for over a month, maybe even two months!"
This statement immediately prompted seven more teams to agree to join. The number of adventurers accepting Charlotte's employment swelled to nearly a hundred. Adventurers rarely get such long-term, stable income opportunities, making this extended employment particularly appealing.
Looking at the adventurers who had accepted his offer, Charlotte loudly said, "I come from the south, and my ancestors had orc blood."
Many adventurers burst out laughing. Having orc blood on the Old Continent isn't exactly something to be proud of, especially since the Orc Kingdom has long since disappeared, leaving its people displaced and considered lower-class in any country.
However, the adventurers weren't too concerned about this detail. After all, they were just doing a job for money, and their employer's bloodline didn't really matter.
As long as they got paid, most adventurers would even work for Farse Empire's arch-enemy, the Black Phoenix Dynasty.
Charlotte continued, "I recently inherited an uncle's estate, and among his belongings, I found a map of an Orc Kingdom treasure. This time, I'm going to find that ancient treasure. I swear by the goddess, if I find the treasure, I'll take five percent and share it with those who helped me find it."
This time, even the remaining adventurers were moved, and many eyes lit up with greed and ambition. Some even thought to themselves, "If we find the treasure, why not kill this young man and take even more?"
White Wolf glanced at Louis and whispered, "Your friend is quite good at lying."
Louis shrugged and said nothing.
When Charlotte first saw them, he mentioned that the treasure map was purchased from a second-hand store, but now it had become an uncle's inheritance. Even if Louis wanted to cover for Charlotte, he wouldn't know how to explain this inconsistency. Moreover, he was certain that Charlotte had no orc blood from the southern continent; after all, a lady from the Brittany family would never befriend someone with even a hint of orc blood.