Chapter 77

"Speaking of which, what's the deal with that young lady?"

Bringing the disheveled old Walker back to the study, Rhod first asked about this issue.

"What do you mean, what's the deal?"

Faced with Rhod's inquiry, old Walker was somewhat at a loss.

"As you said, shield warriors are hard to find, but you managed to hire one so easily..."

Rhod sat behind the desk, tapping the tabletop.

"Aren't you going to give me an explanation?"

"Oh, you mean that."

Hearing this, old Walker finally understood Rhod's meaning. He let out a long sigh of relief, sat down in the chair, and began to explain.

"To be honest, she is from the Markwhite Mercenary Group."

"Markwhite?"

Hearing this name, Rhod frowned.

"The top three mercenary group on the list? How did you manage to bring someone from there?"

"It's like this..."

With old Walker's explanation, Rhod finally understood why the girl named Annie had joined his mercenary group. It turns out this was related to the current power struggle within the Markwhite Mercenary Group.

During a previous mission, their leader was severely injured and eventually died. The leaderless mercenary group naturally had to elect a new leader. The two vice-presidents were vying for this position, each with their own supporters and working hard to secure it. Amidst this, Annie expressed her anger. She was not weak and had the support of many veterans, but she was an orphan adopted by the old leader. Naturally, she was dissatisfied with the power struggle that began while the old leader's body was still warm. However, Annie was still young, and the two vice-presidents had been operating in the mercenary group for many years, with deep roots. Fighting against them would not end well. After several failed attempts to dissuade her, Annie finally gave up on the matter. Her personality was as straightforward as the old leader's. Out of sight, out of mind. If she couldn't fight them, she could at least avoid them. So, she decisively proposed to leave the mercenary group.

Even though Annie was the old leader's adopted daughter, mercenaries had little leverage to make demands on the mercenary group. While choosing a mercenary group is somewhat like an employee choosing a company, there were no equal terms or contract periods. Most mercenaries would loyally follow their mercenary group after joining, unless something major happened, such as the group's dissolution or destruction. Few would choose to leave, as going solo was more dangerous. In a mercenary group, even if one died unexpectedly, at least there would be comrades to bury them, rather than leaving them to rot in the wild. Moreover, leaving one's mercenary group often labeled one as a "traitor," making it difficult to join other groups. Thus, Annie's decision was quite bold.

Annie wanted to leave, and the two vice-presidents did not want to keep her. She was the old leader's person, though young, she was strong and a shield warrior, with significant influence among the mercenaries. They feared that if she grew up and returned with her supporters, she could threaten their leadership. However, they were also afraid that letting her go would invite gossip. So, they decided that whoever could pay 300 gold coins could take Annie away.

300 gold coins was a significant amount for medium and small mercenary groups. They had many people to support, and while the rewards from missions were not small, the distribution was minimal. A medium-sized mercenary group might have only 400 to 500 gold coins in liquid assets, far from enough to pay such a sum.

Large mercenary groups, who could afford it, had similar concerns as the two vice-presidents. They saw this as an internal conflict within the Markwhite Mercenary Group. Whoever became the leader would likely not get along with Annie. Large mercenary groups often had connections, and unless there was deep-seated enmity, they would not buy an enemy. Besides, they were not short of manpower. Annie was strong, but for a large mercenary group, one more or one less did not matter. It was not worth offending another group for one person. Some enemies of the Markwhite Mercenary Group might have wanted to buy Annie to spite their rivals, but these enemies were also Annie's enemies. While she had grown indifferent to the Markwhite Mercenary Group, she would not agree to join those she disliked.

Many wealthy merchants and nobles also tried to buy the beautiful girl, but Annie was not foolish. She refused to go anywhere but a mercenary group, declining their offers and prices. Clearly, she had no interest in being a bed companion or a concubine.

Information among mercenary groups was often shared, so many mercenaries had heard about Annie. When old Walker heard Rhod wanted someone, he immediately thought of her.

Annie herself seemed satisfied with the transaction. A small mercenary group meant less pressure and fewer troubles. She did not want to join large mercenary groups, as the larger the group, the more internal conflicts. She was already tired of such disputes from the leadership struggle and now just wanted to be a simple mercenary, doing tasks and living a simple life, without dealing with complex matters.

"I see."

After hearing old Walker's explanation, Rhod nodded, putting his doubts to rest.

"Then, let's talk about the main issue... How about the investigation I asked you to do?"

"Heh, you wouldn't believe it, kid, it's quite strange."

Mentioning this, old Walker immediately became animated.

"I investigated the 32 mercenary groups as you instructed. Guess what? Except for those currently on missions, they all went on missions related to the undead, and they all left around the same time!"

"Did they take the missions themselves?"

"Not at all."

Old Walker waved his hand.

"Mercenaries know how troublesome undead are. Only large mercenary groups would risk their lives. According to the information I gathered, these groups were commissioned, and the clients paid large deposits, which is why they agreed to take the missions."

"What about now? How are they doing?"

"Five groups have returned, most with heavy casualties, similar to the Red Eagles. Many are short of manpower, and it seems they did not complete their missions, which is a significant blow to these groups."

"Do you know the specific locations and details of their missions? And what about the clients?"

"I don't know, kid."

Faced with Rhod's questions, old Walker spread his hands in frustration.

"These are mercenary group secrets, rarely shared with others. I can't pry too much, but I'm sure the Mercenary Association has records, as these commissions must be confirmed by them. However, this situation is indeed strange. Normally, no one commissions so many missions involving the undead... What's going on?"

"Right now, it's just a guess."

Rhod sat in his chair, deep in thought, tapping the desk lightly. The situation was indeed abnormal. Recalling what happened in the game, he seemed to sense something. Yes, at that time, many players from the Land of Light appeared here, reportedly to complete a mission with a very generous initial reward. As for the content of that mission... Rhod raised an eyebrow.

I see, but I need to investigate further to draw a conclusion.

"However, it's clear that these events are connected... Tomorrow, I'll go to the Mercenary Association to see if I can find any clues."

"The Mercenary Association?"

Hearing this, old Walker frowned.

"You're going to deal with those guys? Don't say I didn't warn you, they are very tight-lipped. It won't be easy to get information from them."

"I have my ways."

Rhod shook his head, then closed his eyes, thinking.

"Continue to investigate what those mercenary groups are doing, and pay attention to whether any unfamiliar mercenaries have entered Deepstone City recently."

"Unfamiliar mercenaries? They come and go all the time. As a major city, it's normal for Deepstone City to attract them."

"True, but it would be abnormal if a large number appeared in a short time."

"You mean..."

Hearing this, old Walker's expression changed. He was not foolish. Rhod had asked him to investigate so many unusual things, and old Walker naturally saw the problem, though he did not know who would dare to do such a thing...

"Someone is planning to target the mercenary groups in Deepstone City? Kid, do you have any information?"

Seeing old Walker's expression, Rhod rolled his eyes. What information could he have? If it were a normal day, Rhod would just find it unusual but not think much of it. But now, knowing what would happen in the near future, even the slightest abnormality caught his attention and made him cautious.

"If I had information, I would tell you."

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