Chapter 111: Still a Young Master
Wu Heng looked at her and thought of Madam Slater from Blackstone Town.
Both women had mature beauty, yet there were some differences.
When writing letters yesterday, he thought it might be a good idea to send one to Madam Slater.
"Guest, since you've just arrived, if you wish to recruit some guards or issue a commission, you can do it here. I'll also offer you a reasonable price," the woman continued.
"Now that you mention it, I actually want you to help me collect some things."
"What do you need? When it comes to rare items, we're quite confident."
Wu Heng said, "Necromancy skill books, and materials for a necromancy structure called [Burial Ground]. I need both."
The woman furrowed her brows slightly and glanced again at the three figures opposite her.
She seemed to have some guesses in her mind.
Sitting up a bit straighter, she maintained her smile, "Of course, that's no problem for the Serpent Emblem. We can get them from nearby cities. But once they arrive, how should we contact you?"
"No need, I've settled in the city and will check in regularly."
"That's ideal, but as per procedure, you'll still need to pay a deposit," the woman continued.
"Sure, how much?"
"Just 300 silver coins will do. You can pay the remainder upon completion of the transaction."
"Okay."
After chatting for a while, the door was pushed open again.
A line of people entered.
They placed bags of silver coins on the table, arranging them neatly.
Wu Heng counted them, confirmed the amount, then handed 300 silver coins to the other party, "Here's the deposit. Collect what I need accordingly!"
"Understood, guest."
The woman filled out a commission form, stamped it with a seal, and the commission was officially set.
Wu Heng smiled and said, "Would it be possible for me to stay here alone for a moment?"
"Certainly." After the woman left.
Wu Heng put all the money bags into his spatial storage.
Then he walked out of the room.
He bid farewell to the woman at the door and left the consortium building.
Next, Wu Heng went to a material shop to buy some alchemy ingredients.
He also browsed the nearby weapon and armor shops.
The busiest place was still the lower district; the main street was full of merchant caravans, and there were many people moving about.
He didn't get far before seeing two or three groups engaging in PvP.
Then a bunch of people who looked more like thugs rushed out to maintain order.
Even if you're not buying anything, it's a great place to watch the action.
After strolling around for a while, he had dinner outside and then returned to his residence.
...
Seeing Wu Heng return, the foreman immediately came up to him.
"You've come back just in time. The flooring and wall coverings are all done. Take a look; if everything's in order, I'll arrange for the furniture to be moved in tomorrow," the foreman said with a big smile.
"Okay."
Entering the residence, the foreman began showing him around.
The floors were already laid, and the walls were covered with wallpaper.
The atmosphere was much better, no longer like a warehouse.
After inspecting from top to bottom, Wu Heng felt it was quite good.
"I think it's great. Continue with the next steps tomorrow."
"Will do."
The foreman left.
Wu Heng locked the door tightly, sent the alchemy materials to the Zombie World, and then continued training his swordsmanship.
...
Early the next morning.
As soon as Wu Heng arrived at the guild, a staff member came over.
"Captain Wu Heng, the steward wants you to go over directly."
"Okay." He replied and headed to the steward's office.
He thought to himself, "Is there another mission?"
His squad only had two members.
Surely, there shouldn't be missions this frequently.
Arriving at the steward's office, he knocked lightly on the door before entering.
In the study, besides the steward with slicked-back hair and a mustache, there was another human present.
He wore leather armor and had short brown hair.
His eyes were narrow and long, his cheeks sunken, and an iron sword hung at his waist.
When Wu Heng entered, the man only glanced at him before turning away again.
"Steward, you called for me?" Wu Heng asked.
Steward Gomez nodded and introduced, "This is Captain Fischer of Squad 8."
He then turned to the brown-haired man, "This is the new captain of Squad 12, Wu Heng. You two should get to know each other."
After the introduction, the brown-haired man turned around, frowning as he sized Wu Heng up.
"Captain Fischer, nice to meet you!"
"Hmm, becoming a captain at such a young age, not bad." Although it sounded like praise, his expression remained cold.
It was as if Wu Heng owed him money.
"You're too kind."
The steward interrupted their conversation and continued, "There have been disappearances of guild members in the lower district. You two should investigate together."
"Understood!"
"Alright then, go ahead, and be careful."
The two nodded and left the room.
In the corridor, Fischer looked at him and said, "We should head to the East Road area of the lower district first to inquire about clues. Will you go separately or with us?"
"Let's go together."
I don't even know what the mission is; how could I go alone?
"Fine, gather outside quickly. If you take too long, we'll leave without you."
After speaking, Fischer left without looking back.
Wu Heng didn't pay much attention and returned to the lounge.
As he opened the door, he saw Duke and said, "Let's go, we've got a mission."
"Really?" Duke grabbed his battle axe and followed him out.
They arrived at the guild entrance together.
Squad 8 was already assembled.
There were five people, a standard squad setup.
He could distinguish them: an Orc Berserker, a Human Swordsman, and a Ranger with a bird perched on his shoulder.
Wu Heng led Duke out.
Fischer frowned, "How many people are in your squad?"
"Two."
"Where are the others?"
"You could consider them personal retainers," Wu Heng replied.
"Heh! Still a young master~!" someone in Squad 8 suddenly remarked.
Fischer also chuckled.
"Alright, let's move out."
...
The squads entered the lower district.
They lightly knocked on the door of a residence.
Soon, the door was opened a crack, and a human woman peeked out, asking, "Who are you looking for?"
Fischer directly replied, "We're from the Adventurer's Guild. What's the issue here?"
The woman hurriedly said, "My husband went out with mercenaries. Normally, he'd be back in two days at most, but he hasn't returned yet. Something must have gone wrong."
Fischer nodded and continued to ask, "Do you know where he went? Or where he disappeared?"
"At Boulder Bridge."
"Do you know what your husband went out to do?"
"I don't know, it seemed like he was gathering some materials," the woman shook her head.
"Alright, just stay home and wait. We'll go check it out."
The group left the residential area, fetched their horses from the guild, and headed out of the city toward Boulder Bridge.
...
They rode hard for three or four hours.
Finally, they reached their destination.
Boulder Bridge was indeed a stone bridge made of rubble. The middle part had already collapsed, leaving a dry riverbed below.
It seemed that no one had passed through here for a long time.
The group dismounted.
"Search the area for any traces," Fischer ordered again.
Squad 8's members began their search.
The Ranger sent out his bird, while the melee classes started searching the surroundings.
When they found clues, they whispered them only to their captain.
They clearly had no intention of acknowledging Wu Heng's group.
"Uh… Captain, are they ignoring us on purpose?" Duke bent over and whispered in Wu Heng's ear.
"Let them be busy. Anyway, when we return, the reward will still be shared with us."
"Yeah, true."
The two of them stood on the periphery like lookouts, watching Squad 8 bustling around.
At this moment, a member of Squad 8 waved from a distance, signaling the group to come over.
As they approached, they could see bloodstains on the grass and ground.
There had been a battle here.
"Let's go, follow the trail."
The group crossed Boulder Bridge and continued along the trail.
They gradually entered the depths of the forest.
As they walked, the squad suddenly came to an abrupt halt.
With serious expressions, they surveyed the surroundings.
The forest was dense, the canopy like an umbrella blocking out the sky.
Hanging below the canopy were human-shaped cocoons.
They extended further into the depths.
"What the hell are those things?"