Translator:AtlasStudiosEditor:AtlasStudios

It was just as Rhode had guessed; these three people were brought by Sereck to join his mercenary group. Their situation actually wasnt considered rare in the Paphield area. When the prohibition was announced, some mercenary groups received very heavy casualties and couldnt help but disband. Shaunas Red Hawk was also one of them, but it didnt mean that all mercenary group suffering had ended. They were trying to persevere, but in the end they couldnt help but to give in. These three people werent an exception.

I dont think you recognize them, but its no wonder considering that they usually arent here. This time, were it not because of the emergency, they also wouldnt come here Let me introduce you to them.

While saying this, Sereck reached out his hand and made a gesture toward the tall man who was talking with him. This is the Coyote mercenary group leader, Obertan.

Yo, hello, Mr. Rhode. Hearing that Sereck has introduced him, the huge man stood up and waved his hand toward Rhode. His voice was loud and earth-wrecking, and even Rhodes heart almost jumped out. However, his emotionless face brought a good advantage. Although he almost got heart attack after hearing that earth-wrecking voice, Rhodes face was still calm as usual. He only nodded and greeted him.

At this moment, the plump fatty also gave him a friendly smile, taking off his hat and putting it in front of his chest. After that, he bowed toward Rhode.

Hello, Mr. Rhode. Im the Lynx mercenary group leader, Kavos. Ive heard of you; its my pleasure meeting you in person. Honestly, you and your mercenary group is very famous in our Paphield region. Especially when you brought your mercenary group to Silent Highland to save our fellow mercenaries from undead creatures. Im really impressed by it

Enough enough, Kavos. Shut up. Hearing that this fatty had begun to chatter, Sereck quickly shut his mouth up and coughed. Then he look at the last person.

This is the Condor mercenary groups leader, Derick.

After Sereck introduced him, this man who was surrounded by sharp air suddenly stood up and nodded to Rhode.

Hello.

Rhode also nodded back. At the same time he was also pondering, since no matter what, these three people were too similar. Judging from their appearance

Just as youve guessed, Rhode. Looking at Rhode expression, Sereck already knew what Rhode was thinking about, so he immediately gave him the answer.

The three of them are brothers; its weird right, hahaha. Three brothers established three different mercenary groups and reached this point You guys are just too pathetic.

You cannot blame us for this, Mr. Sereck. Facing Serecks ridicule, Kavos, who looked like a merchant, only shook his head helplessly.

Everyone tried their best. Its just that our luck is too bad. You dont have to speak so sarcastically, right. Hehe, since we

Enough enough, Im not here to talk bullsh*t with you. Sereck waved his hand and no longer pay attention to Kavos, but looked toward Rhode.

Ill leave the three of them in your care. These people were my subordinates once, so I have faith in the three of them. Obertan is a very remarkable two-handed swordsman. Although Kavos is a little talkative, hes a good thief. As for Derick youve already seen that hes a very serious person. I think the three of them are suitable for your mercenary group. Of course, not only them, but also their subordinates.

I understand, Mr. Sereck. Having said that, Rhode didnt reply immediately. To the contrary, he made an eye contact with Sereck and implicitly asked whether he had told them about the mercenary guild matter. But Serecks expression showed his denialclearly, he knew that this matter couldnt be talked about casually. If it was known by other mercenary groups that the quota of a mercenary guild in the Paphield region was going to be abolished, they would definitely go mad.

Those mercenary groups werent considered too strong, always ranking behind Burning Blade and Dark Fang. They could barely create a threat either. But it was two different things. Just like famous universities: they have a quota for new students from various regions. Each year, thousands of candidates desperately study to achieve that quota. Although they also know that the probability was less than one-thousandth, whatever the outcome, there was still a hope, right?

If right now they directly told them that the university wouldnt accept anymore candidates

Without thinking hard, the association would already be able to guess what might happen. Originally, they already received a very huge blow because of the continuous incidents that happened in the Paphield region. If they rubbed salt into their wounds, then a big problem would definitely occur The mercenaries definitely wouldnt continue to stay in a hopeless place like this.

Naturally, the Old President and Sereck were hiding this news. They only talked about this matter with the top three mercenary groups. But Hiller was unable to accept this heavy responsibility and Shawn clearly didnt want to do it either. RIght now, the only person who could do it was Rhode.

Then, you guys can slowly get to know each other. Ill leave first.

While Rhode dozed off for a few moments, Sereck left. Rhode only noticed when Sereck finally left. He walked toward the three people and waved his hand, then sat down again.

Then nice to meet the three of you. Rhode was silent, but in the end, he still chose the direct approach.

But I hope you guys can answer me this question. Why did the three of you choose to join my mercenary group?

Its like this, Mr. Rhode. Hearing Rhodes question, the three of them werent surprised. They glanced toward each other before finally Kavon spoke. He clasped his hands, showed his warm smile, and said, Its not strange for you to doubt this matter, but we have our own reasons

You might not know that your Starlight mercenary group shook the entire Paphield area and became a discussion topic for many mercenaries. Im not afraid to tell you the truth: theres only a few strong mercenary group in the Paphield area, and people like us can only pick up the remains left by them. But because this kind of incident suddenly happened, no ones life was good. Not to mention that the Dark Fang mercenary group is always secretive and mysterious, totally different from us. And although the Burning Blade mercenary group is strong, but they have a lot of problems and they have a lot of members, so I dont think they would even consider us. However, your Starlight mercenary group is different. Frankly, in our opinion, Starlight is stronger than Burning Blade. You dont have to refute it; this is a fact. You saved them once in the Twilight Forest, right? As the saying goes, people walk toward higher positions. Every mercenary always hopes to join a strong mercenary group for benefits. Moreover, unlike Burning Blade, you dont have many members. Of course, I dont mean to say its a problem, but I think numbers also play a big part in a mercenary group. Although your strength is strong enough to face many problems, if you received more help, it would be a lot easier for you, right? Thats why we think if we could join Starlight, then we can at least help you regarding this

I understand what you mean. Hearing until here, Rhode nodded. Of course he knew what Kavos meant. Indeed, no matter how strong Starlight was, it wasnt invincible. Sometimes, lot of members were needed. The Burning Blade mercenary group always maintained the first place position for so many years, so to them, numbers werent a problem. That was why even if they joined Burning Blade, they wouldnt be treated well. However, Starlight was different; although they were stronger than Burning Blade, their numbers were too little. It was just like a legendary swordmaster; no matter how strong he was, he would not be be able to split the earth in half. It was also impossible for him to cook and wash by himself He still needed support in those parts.

Thats why they thought by joining Starlight, they at least wouldnt be treated as badly as they would in Burning Blade since they didnt really care about numbers, but

But, are you guys qualified to do so? Rhodes words made the three of them surprised, but he didnt stop there and continued to speak. Indeed, were still lacking in numbers, but we havent reached the limit Since Mr. Sereck recommended you guys, I believe that you must have reached a certain standard, but whether it reaches my standard

Having said that, Rhode spread his hands and coldly looked at the three of them. Its still uncertain.

Rhode understood what Kavos was trying to achieve. Mercenaries were just as sly as merchants. From the first time, his enthusiastic and blunt speeches were all directed to himself. This made people think that they were sincere, or at the very least, not nonsense. It was smarter than people who said meaningless nonsense like I admire Starlight or I think youre the greatest mercenary commander here.

However, he naturally couldnt follow along smoothly. If they wanted to join his mercenary group, then they must have the strength to do so. He needed to let them know who the real master was here. Only he could decide whether they could join or not; it wouldnt happen just because they were lobbying.

If Rhode just agreed after hearing their words, it would leave an impression of him being too soft and easily be moved. A weak leader wasnt suited to be a leader. Even though what they said was right, he still had to interrupt it and gave them a new direction.

This Hearing until here, Kavoss expression changed. He glanced toward his two brothers, and the huge man stopped smiling just now, clearly dissatisfied with Rhode while the other man stayed silent. Rhode didnt know what he was thinking about.

Since the three of you are very familiar with my mercenary group, then you must know about a rule here. Seeing that he had the upper hand right now, Rhode didnt plan to give it up, wanting to control the situation, and started to put pressure on them.

Hearing until here, Kavos expression turned serious and nodded.

Starlights weird contract had spread among mercenaries. Rhode didnt plan to hide it since the beginning. For insurance, another copy of the contract was kept by the Mercenary Association. Since this matter was known to the Mercenary Association, of course mercenaries knew about it too and everyone was shocked by it.

Rhodes approach had led to two different opinions in the mercenary groups in the Paphield region. One said that it was considered traditional desecration and lacked respect for mercenaries, treating them as goods and slaves, not human beings. It was just too inhumane for their existence to be symbolized by a contract, and if their performance wasnt good, they would be expelled. Once a mercenary joined a mercenary group, the mercenary group would be their home, so how could they not guard their home properly? What Rhode did was too inhumane and wouldnt be welcomed by anyone.

On the other hand, the other side was very supportive of Rhodes behavior. They thought this method would help stimulate a mercenarys passion, and the content of the contract could easily solve many troubles that often happened in a mercenary group, such as loot distribution and what happened if a mercenary was injured. Before, everyone had their own idea, and the result of this trivial matter could make the entire mercenary group feel uncomfortable. With a contract, written in black and white, more contribution would be awarded with more reward. The contract itself was known by everyone, so they didnt have to worry about who out of the force took more. They didnt have to worry about someone going back on their words. This was a lot better than bickering on their own. After all, they still valued the contract and this form of agreement because they could rely on the mercenary group to make money. Going back on their own words could be said the biggest taboo in the mercenary circle.

When Rhode reminded them about this matter, the three of them knew that the important part was coming.

Mr. Sereck trusts you guys, but I dont trust you guys. I trust Sereck, but my trust isnt unconditional. Having said that, Rhode reached out two fingers on his right hand.

I hope you guys can sign a contract. The contract valid for two years and I can renew your contract when it expires if your performance satisfies me. Like everyone else, if you can successfully renew the contract three times, you can stay in this mercenary group forever. I will give you a copy of the specific terms in the contract. I hope you can give me a reply after you discuss it.

Having said that, Rhode stood up and looked at the three of them. Now, he finally had full control of the situation.

I hope we can have a satisfying beginning.