Chapter 87 of 100

Chapter 87

17 min read4,329 words

Chapter 2: Inquiring

Although the title of a district's head seems impressive and powerful, the Special Operations Department is different from the Demon Hunter Guild—where the branch president is responsible for assigning tasks to demon hunters in the district, issuing warnings for emergencies, and handling various other matters, making them a real authority figure. The Special Operations Department, on the other hand, is structured like a military unit but follows a small elite team model. A district's head is responsible for the ammunition and daily needs of the Special Operations Department members dispatched by higher-ups, essentially acting as a logistics director...

After the blonde girl finished speaking, she put down her cup and left. Ye Qi, however, shook his head with a wry smile, then turned and walked back down the street he had come from—earlier, he had seen a large furniture store. As for the blonde girl? Ye Qi temporarily put her aside; after all, what is destined to come will come, and there's no avoiding it. Otherwise, there wouldn't be the saying "narrow is the path of enmity," right?

...

With sufficient payment, the furniture store's movers not only delivered the furniture Ye Qi bought to the room but also arranged it according to his requirements—the bar counter facing the entrance, the seats scattered but orderly, all following the layout style of his father's bar, with some elements of the Dolphin Bar mixed in.

Ye Qi had already contacted a specialist through the furniture store manager to make the bar's sign, which was promised to be delivered by the next morning. The only thing lacking now was the staff to manage the first floor—he had no skill in mixing drinks, so a bartender was essential, and a certain number of waiters were also necessary. As for security, he had other plans. After posting job ads for a bartender and waiters at the bar's entrance, the matter of taking over the Gulf Bay branch was temporarily concluded. As for ordering alcohol, even though Randing Castle was far from Tallinn, two wineries were willing to enter into a long-term partnership with Ye Qi thanks to the reputation of the unscrupulous merchant.

"Knock knock..."

As Ye Qi was about to leave for dinner, the knocking sound came again.

"Mr. Ye! It is an honor to see you again!" Hampton, the drug dealer on Lola Street, stood at the bar's entrance in a well-tailored suit, bowing respectfully to Ye Qi—whether it was the direct instructions from the black market merchant, the rumors he heard from others, or the impression the other party left on him during their first meeting, all told him that the seemingly harmless young man in front of him was terrifying. For the sake of his life, Hampton became even more respectful: "Boss Mori sends his sincere greetings and the staff you requested is ready! Would you like to inspect them now?"

"Sure!" Ye Qi nodded. "Lead the way!"

...

Riding in Hampton's car, they left Randing Castle's city center and entered the suburbs, stopping in front of a mansion. Even in the dark, Ye Qi could see the luxury and elegance of the mansion, which was almost on par with the Deco family's estate.

"Mr. Ye, these are the twenty children between the ages of five and seven, as you requested!" After entering the mansion, Hampton led Ye Qi directly to a side hall and pointed to a group of children waiting there. He then pointed to three burly men: "These three are the experts Boss Mori hired for you from the mercenary market..."

While Hampton introduced the three mercenaries to Ye Qi, Ye Qi's gaze lingered on the children—these were the ones who would be truly useful to him in the future, his true core. As for the three mercenaries? They were just temporary drill instructors for the children and security for the bar. However, Ye Qi's approach clearly caused dissatisfaction among the three mercenaries. Although they didn't say it outright, their expressions betrayed their discontent.

"Are you dissatisfied?" Ye Qi turned and smiled at the three mercenaries, walking over slowly—Hampton, standing to the side, quickly moved to stand with the bewildered children, wisely choosing to stay out of it. Without any extra movements, the Yama blade, still in its sheath, struck three times in rapid succession, immediately knocking the three mercenaries to the ground. Standing over them, Ye Qi's smile remained unchanged: "I am the one who hired you, your boss! Remember, this is the first time. If it happens again, what strikes you won't be the sheath!"

The three mercenaries silently got up, their faces now showing respect—mercenaries, aside from taking jobs for money, only believed in strength, more straightforward than demon hunters who were polished by the Demon Hunter Guild.

"Send them, and the children, to my bar temporarily!" Ye Qi instructed Hampton from a distance. After a moment's thought, he added: "Find a house near the bar for me, not necessarily fancy, but large enough!"

"Understood, sir!"

...

After dinner, all the children were already asleep on the third floor, and two of the three mercenaries had already begun their night security duties—earlier, Ye Qi had reasonably arranged their shift schedules, with two responsible for bar security while the other trained the children, then rotating, repeating the cycle. Since the bar only operated at night, it didn't conflict with training the children during the day.

After everyone left, Ye Qi, sitting on the first floor, began counting the gold coins John had given him before he left—exactly one thousand gold coins. After spending three hundred on furniture, seven hundred remained. With the additional expenses of renting a house for the twenty children and three mercenaries, as well as their food, lodging, and training equipment, even with the three thousand gold coins in support from headquarters, it wouldn't last long, at most ten months, and if unexpected expenses were included, six months would be the limit.

The bar might generate some income, but it would be a drop in the bucket. Perhaps I should learn from the unscrupulous merchant and find some side income...

Ye Qi half-closed his eyes, planning for the future—unlike the unscrupulous merchant, who had many avenues, he couldn't find high-demand items like holy water for ordinary demon hunters. Apart from that, the only skill he had that could consistently earn money was mechanical modification, but its pitiful level 1 meant it was useless. Unless he reached the proficient level and had the system's "fine-tuning," his 10% success rate would drain even a mountain of gold...

"Mori, I am very satisfied with this transaction. I hope we can continue to cooperate smoothly!" Ye Qi dialed the phone, first exchanging pleasantries with the black market merchant, then quickly getting to the point: "What are the major underground forces in the Gulf Bay area?"

---