Chapter 45

"Me."

Old Walker turned around and saw a young man sitting in front of him, who looked more like a woman than a man. He had never seen this person before, but the blonde girl beside him seemed familiar...

"Who are you?"

"I am Rod Eilant, the leader of the Starlight Mercenary Group."

"Starlight?"

Old Walker frowned, thought for a moment, and then nodded as if he had suddenly remembered something.

"Oh... you're the one who took over the Moon Bow..."

At this point, Old Walker raised his wine glass and gestured to the blonde girl beside him.

"I remember now, you're that Spirit Master girl. Oh, I hope you're not too upset. Mercenaries are like that, busy and bustling, coming and going in the wind and rain. No one knows when they might meet their end..."

"Mr. Walker, we came here to ask for your help."

"Oh?"

Although he was a bit annoyed that Rod had interrupted him, Old Walker still forced himself to open his eyes and turned to the young man.

"What is it?"

"I hope you can join my mercenary group."

Rod said this without any hesitation. But after a moment of shock, Old Walker suddenly burst out laughing.

"......Ha, hahaha."

It was as if he had heard a joke, pounding the table continuously, even spilling the wine in his cup. Lissie looked at the old man's sudden actions with surprise and bewilderment, but Rod remained very calm. He even had time to wave to the bartender, indicating that they wanted two glasses of fruit wine.

It wasn't until the bartender left that the old man finally calmed down. He panted heavily for a while, then leaned back in his chair.

"Did I hear you right, boy? You want me to join your mercenary group?"

"Is there a problem?"

Rod raised an eyebrow.

"Of course."

At this point, the old man's face darkened. He straightened up and looked at the young man in front of him provocatively.

"Do you think I'm some old fool? I have a question for you. How many people are in your mercenary group now?"

"Two."

Rod answered very quickly, without any hesitation.

"Is that right?"

The old man spread his hands.

"Two people? A mercenary group? What do you have to take on missions? To complete missions? It's not long until the end of spring, and your Starlight's points are still zero. Not to mention you failed once before. No one will come to you with commissions, and the missions the Mercenary Association is releasing now... to be frank, boy, you don't have the ability to complete them."

At this point, the old man waved his hands.

"Don't think I'm so old that I'm completely clueless. I've been here for decades, and I know exactly what happens here every day. So I'm sorry, but I won't join your sinking ship."

Old Walker's words were blunt, which made the girl beside him immediately restless. She looked anxious and wanted to say something but couldn't. In contrast, Rod remained calm. He even had time to pick up his wine glass, savor the light and sweet fruit wine, and then spoke.

"Mr. Walker, what are you afraid of?"

"......What do you mean?"

"I just want to know what you're so afraid of."

Rod's tone was as calm as ever, but his voice carried a hint of blatant sarcasm.

"Indeed, I admit our situation is bad. We might be forcibly disbanded at the end of the year, but..."

Rod extended a finger.

"Even if we are disbanded, it won't happen until next year, right? What can happen if we fail? Either we die, or we are disbanded, and we can only live like ordinary mercenaries. What does that have to do with you? Look at you now. Even if we are disbanded, you will just return here and continue your current life, right? Or are you afraid of death?"

"Don't think your little tricks can anger me, boy."

The old man's face grew darker.

"I've seen all kinds of people over the years. I'm not afraid of death, but I don't like being deceived. You have no future, so of course, I won't choose a path with no future."

"Your excuses are quite good."

Rod clapped his hands as if in praise, but his expression didn't change.

"When you abandoned the Bright Wind, you probably gave yourself the same excuses, didn't you?"

"Bang!!!"

Hearing Rod's words, the old man's face changed, and he slammed his wine glass on the table, startling Lissie.

"They abandoned me! You little brat, you don't know anything, so don't spout nonsense here! Get out!"

"Everyone plays the victim."

But in the face of the enraged old man, Rod didn't waver at all.

"But what right do you have to complain or feel wronged? They gave you the chance and the time, and what did you do? Look at you now, you're like a wounded jackal, cowering in your den, too afraid to move. You're scared, you've lost confidence, so you can't face it. Isn't that right?"

"Swish!"

A cold dagger was suddenly pressed tightly against Rod's throat.

"Shut up, boy."

The old man's face was dark, like a fierce wolf.

"You don't have the right to say such things to me."

"That's what I should say to you."

Rod didn't take the old man's threat seriously at all. In fact, he knew the old man's background very well—in the game, he was a rare high-value NPC in the early stages of Deepstone City, with excellent attributes. However, this didn't mean he was smart. In fact, in his personal quest "Reclaiming Past Glory," the old man's actions were often seen as foolish by many players. In that quest, the mercenary group he once belonged to was attacked by monsters. After receiving the news, the old man decided to go to their rescue, and the players, of course, had to help. But what annoyed many players was that a journey that should have taken just a few minutes was dragged out by the old man's indecision. He would stop by the roadside, worrying if he should really go back, if they still wanted to see him. A man in his fifties acting like a fussy woman, making players want to strangle him.

The cost of his indecision was that by the time he arrived, his former comrades had all become the monsters' snacks. Only then did the old man finally realize his mistake, and his "little universe" exploded, leading him to fight the monsters to the death, a classic story of a prodigal son's redemption.

But unfortunately, this story was not well-received by the players. After wasting three to four hours on the road due to the old man's indecision, and then being surrounded by the monsters, the players couldn't contain their anger. They gave the old man only two words and a middle finger.

Rod was one of them.

It was precisely because of this quest that Rod knew very well what had happened to Old Walker. His comrades had given him enough patience and time, but the old man, due to the deep impact of the event, lost his confidence and retreated like a turtle into his shell, completely rejecting his comrades' good intentions. He never recognized his own mistakes, blaming everything on others. Although he eventually repented, such a story might enhance the artistic value in a novel, but in reality, no one wanted such a thing to happen—what good is your repentance if you end up dead? The people you wanted to save are dead, and you are dead too, wasting so much of our time. What did you achieve in the end?

"Now, I'm saying these things partly to provoke you. This old man is really too cautious. If you don't push him to the limit, he won't budge. And partly, I'm getting back at him. That quest was really tough on me. Since he didn't react in the game, I might as well vent my frustration now."

"At least I have the courage to face it, rather than hiding in a corner like a coward, drinking myself into a stupor."

At this point, Rod stood up, took out a few silver coins, and threw them on the table.

"I'll give you a day to think about it. If you decide to join, you can find me at the Serril Haunted House. If I don't see you tomorrow, I never want to see you again."

With that, Rod turned and left. Lissie, who was shocked by the scene, quickly stood up and followed Rod out.

After the two left, Old Walker slumped back into his chair. He clenched his teeth, his hands trembling with anger. But after a moment, he sighed deeply, buried his head in his arms, and said no more.