Godwin Lopez waited at the Mercenary Guild headquarters.
The agreed time with Oliver was three in the afternoon, but he happened to have an important task to finish in the morning. After submitting the mission-related report, Godwin had lunch at the headquarters and decided to leave after everything was settled.
If the information was updated for an ordinary leader, the Mercenary Guild usually didnât require a witness. However, although the Tin Soldiers Mercenary Regiment disappeared from peopleâs vision, their reputation and power was still there. The Mercenary Guild would inevitably choose to deal with it carefully and Godwin wasnât surprised by this development.
Not to mention anything else, Flint Lopez, the leader of the group whose whereabouts were unknown, was still one of the topics of small talk that the mercenaries were passionate about after they were full of food and drink
In the widely circulated version of the rumor, Flint Lopez, who had lost his powerful teammates, lost his right arm in an ordinary monster hunt. His wife was pregnant and unfortunately died of illness, and the fallen man disappeared.
Even if he didnât know the truth about the past, Godwin didnât think Flint was really âweak and was fishing for fameâ as the Alban royal family implied.
Rumors could never be believed.
The commander of Horizon sighed, recalling his cousinâs lover who died at the bottom of the Abyss for a few seconds.
Unfortunately, he hadnât spoken much to Nemo Light before that.
He only knew that Horizon most lively first mage had been sulking for the path half monthâ When Debby Light first joined Horizon, she liked to chatter about her family far away in Roadside Town. When the other members were lavishly spending their pay on pleasure, the little girl held onto her pocketbook tightly.
âI have to find a chance to send some back to my family. Captain, I have to save a lot of money and surprise my eldest brother!â she said so at the time.
However, now, the young female mage who had always been with him directly asked for a long vacation and locked herself in the room. Debby took a small bag of gold coins and counted them silently; her eyes red all the time.
For some reason, the empty reception room of the headquarters suddenly made Godwin feel a little irritable. He went to the vicinity of the headquarters to buy a bottle of light fruit wine with a very low alcohol content, drank in a small sip in the inconspicuous shadow, and looked at the road wrapped in the afternoon sun.
Unlike the very depressed Debby, Oliver Ramon had simply disappeared after contacting him once. If it hadnât been for the other party to tell him to send out proof of identity instead of an application for dissolution, Godwin would have suspected that his cousin would be upset because of this, and like Flint, disappeared without a trace.
Until a few days ago, the shivering silly parrot of Tumbleweed unscrewed Godwinâs window with its beak and threw a letter directly in. The letter asked him to come to the headquarters of the Mercenary Guild to meet today and complete the final certification formalitiesâ Unlike the inexplicably arrogant parrot, the tone in the letter was very polite.
Oliver Ramon even asked him in advance about the price of Horizonâs missed wages, with seriousness between the lines.
Godwin took a sip of the fruit wine and sighed again.
Although it wasnât clear what Ramon planned with this mess, at the agreed time, he still sent a thick envelope marked âTumbleweedâ to the headquarters of the Mercenary Guild.
Now the aftermath of this behavior had appeared.
Outside the alley where he was standing, the mercenaries were already crowded into a pile, waiting to see the true face of the son of Flint Lopez.
Godwin naturally didnât spread the information, but half a month had passed since the certification letter was sent to the headquarters of the Mercenary Guild.
This wasnât a state secret, and the interior of the Mercenary Guild wasnât an airtight wall. After half a month, the news spread like wildfire, covering most of the continent.
Until now, Godwin couldnât guess what Oliver wanted to do. He used magic to crush the empty bottle into dust and patted the ashes on his hand. The conversations of the mercenaries were piled up, buzzing non-stop, as if there were more than a dozen huge poisonous beehives around his head.
âI heard from Tom that Flint Lopezâs son is coming here today to complete the certification formalitiesâ Praise Zenni, isnât Lopezâs son long dead?â
âWho knows? Maybe Lopez used some sorcery. Didnât there used to be a guy that looked like a superior demon in the Tin Soldiers? MaybeâŠâ
âDonât forget the reason why Oliver Lopez became a Black Chapter, conspiring with a demon worshipper to kill his father. Doesnât that mean he killed Flint Lopez? Oh my goodness!â
âIâm almost starting to sympathize with Godwinâ Being the leader of Horizon and not know he had such a terrible cousin. According to the regulation, as a member of the Lopez family, he really couldnât push off this job of proving his identity. If I was him, I definitely wouldnât want to have anything to do with a dangerous Black Chapter.â
Godwin took a step back into the alley and frowned.
âThe team of calamity that circulated before is also Tumbleweed, right? Those people can really create chaos. But I must say, the leader of Tumbleweed is a kid from the Lopez family, which really makes sense. Werenât they escorts for the reconnaissance team not long ago? As a result, the reconnaissance team came back literally half dead, and the Pope of the Laddism Church did a superficial effort, but he didnât dare put up even a stinkââ
âHey! Even if you donât believe in Zenni, can you show respect for my faith?â
In the bustling crowd, the short mercenary who was chatting gave the tall man beside him a kick.
âI apologize, I apologizeâ Hey, anyway, when the formalities are completed, Tumbleweed will definitely rise to the level of the eight-purpose spider.â The tone of the tall mercenary was very determined.
âNot necessarily. Didnât they a member of theirs die not long ago? They also stuffed a parrot into the team, which is crazy,â the short man muttered his objection, sounding a little angry.
âYou donât know that.â
The tall man squeezed forward again, lowering his voice. Unfortunately, he was less than ten steps away from Godwin at the moment. Godwin leaned against the old wooden box in the alley and could still hear him clearly.
âIt was Oliver Lopezâs little lover who died. Some people said it was a demon warlock. Bah, how can there be a normal demon warlock like that! I have relatives in Roadside Townâ That Light turned out to be a librarian. While he had a beautiful face, he didnât have the slightest magical talent, so he could only be a demon worshiper at most.â
âTsstâŠbut Tumbleweed and the othersâŠâ
âYeah, not to mention Ann Savage, Cross is the apostate Chief Justice was with the half of the team that died along with the âPoisonous Viperâ Jesse, who is no better than Light.â
âTumbleweed also got Light a powerful staff.â A new voice joined the conversation. âIf Light and Flint Lopezâs son are in that kind of relationshipâŠâ
âThe leader of the team was worried that his lover canât protect himself and as a result he died in a dangerous mission, right?â
âThe mission was quite dangerous. The Abyss isnât a random place to take a stroll. The situation was probably too deadly that they had to abandon the one dragging their feet.â
âOhâŠâ
âSpeaking of which, Savage is also a ruthless character. Before, she had a mysterious appearance, and kept rejecting the invitation of big mercenary groups. I never thought that it was her Royal Highness at the time. Fuck, if I had knownââ
âKnow what? Itâs just a woman who murdered a blood relative and usurped the throne.â
Another new voice joined in, with a thick voice and a bit of sharp anger.
âEither that or sheâs being controlled by Oliver Lopez. Itâs fine if itâs a fight between men, but sheâs a woman whoâs been living in exile for years and doesnât know shit about anything but fighting and killing. Does she deserve to sit on that golden stool?â
âThatâs too much. According to the rules, sheâs also a legalâŠâ
âYou are not Albanian, are you? Let me tell you, kid, Albanâs new regulations in the past few days have become more lenient towards demons. Is this what a normal-minded person would do? I admit that I was a little harsh before, but you know, itâs better to kill by mistake than to appease possible dangersâThey must have something to do with the Abyss. How can there be a Black Chapter team with goats! Cult worship, itâs definitely cult worship.â
ââŠIn that case, they were quite low-key before. How come they suddenly release the news with such fanfare?â
âWho knows? Well, everyone is crowded here to watch the fun. If youâre asking around, you must have come to see what Oliver Lopezâs plans are.â
The familiar aura appeared in the distance, and Godwin Lopez pulled on his cloak and walked out of the dark alley. The few mercenaries who were still talking eloquently in the crowd suddenly closed their mouths and instantly moved their eyes away.
Godwin snorted softly, raised his gaze, and looked at the end of the road.
There were only four figures, and at a glance, this team looked a bit lonely.
Oliver Ramon walked in front, and the black armor reflected a little dim light. The scratched skeleton helmet covered most of his face, and there was no expression on the exposed face. The âviciousâ leader of Tumbleweed led a sturdy dark horse, without looking away, and walked straight to the headquarters of the Mercenary Guild.
On his left, Ann Savage covered the lower half of her face with a scarf. The Queen of Alban was still wearing the dark ordinary leather armor, with the hunting spear behind her. A gray parrot perched on her shoulder, brining no substance to the entourage it was with.
On Oliverâs right side, Jesse, the âPoisonous Viperâ who had just been mentioned, was leading a fuller goat, with a frivolous smile on his face, and talking to Adrian Cross beside him.
The apostate Chief Justice stubbornly wore his monkâs uniform, with a calm expression and a slight smile. It was just that the sharp-eyed mercenaries could find that on the edge of the high collar of the monkâs uniform, there was a little hickey mark on the skin of Adrian Crossâ neck.
For a team with a dark tone and a dangerous aura, none of the members showed that kind of reputation.
âOliver.â Godwin walked forward and stretched out a hand.
Oliver looked eager to respond for a second, and he even raised his hand slightly and the next second, he quickly took it back.
Ignoring Godwinâs outstretched hand, the leader of Tumbleweed just nodded coldly, and then walked neatly into the door of the Mercenary Guild headquarters.
Godwin raised his eyebrows and watched the lively mercenaries take in a cold breath in unison.
Five minutes later.
âSorry, brother!â Making sure the door of the reception room was closed, Oliver quickly lowered his head.
In the reception room, the atmosphere suddenly became lively. Ann pulled off the scarf, gasped for breath, and then played the game of I-throw-you-catch with cookies with the gray parrot. Jesse Dylan hooked an arm around Adrian Crossâ neck and kissed his cheek very nonchalantlyâ What made Godwin feel creeped out was the former Knight of Judgement acquiesced to Dylanâs absurd behavior, without even showing a half-disgusted expression.
âExplain.â Godwin raised his arms and glanced at the ring on his cousinâs ring finger on his left hand.
âLike I said before, when everything is over, I will tell you the truth⊠If you still want to hear it then.â
âThis canât get rid of me, Mr. Ramon.â Godwin glanced at the ring inlaid with a black gem. âIncluding the performance, you just deliberately alienated me outside, I need an explanation.â
The gloom in Oliver Ramonâs eyes swept away as he took off the cold skeleton helmet. His emerald eyes gleamed happily. No matter how one looked at it, it didnât look like a man who had just lost his lover.
âOh, I think this is a good entry point.â
Oliver scratched his head embarrassedly, and the fierce look in front of the mercenaries was swept away. He skillfully took off the black badge on his chest, brought out the mission light screen, and threw it to Godwin on the opposite side.
Godwin twitched the corner of his mouth at the spider emblem on the Black Chapter, then squinted his eyes and looked at the task content on the light screen.
[Dealing with the plague dragon corpse deep in the Border Forest]
[Clean up the decaying swamp that keeps proliferating in the northern part of the Bale Rift Valley]
[This is urgent. Get rid of the heart-eating rats that invaded the Krabal Desert Kingdom]
âŠâŠ
The top ten tasks flickered with a low light, all marked as in progress.
âAre you crazy?!â
After quickly scanning the tasks whose titles made peopleâs hair stand upside down, the leader of Horizon raised his voice.
âThese are things that no one will easily touch. At least five or more mercenary groups must join forces. There are only four of you! Iâm sorry that Light has passed away, but thatâs no reason for you to gamble with your own life and the lives of your companionsââ
ââŠAbout this, letâs discuss it togetherâ We decided to make Tumbleweed the most outclassed team of assholes in todayâs era.â The smile on Oliverâs face became a bit stronger. âIf the two of us get too close outside, it will have a negative impact on the reputation Horizon.â
Having said that, Oliver hesitated for a few seconds. He flipped through the package he carried with him and took out a small book. The emblem of Clementine Academy was printed on the book, and the cover flashed quickly between black and white. Godwin squinted his eyes, trying to confirm the true color of the book.
Then his gaze was firmly fixed by the handwriting embroidered with gold thread on the spine of the bookâŠ
[Emanuel Lopez, the 368th Knight of Judgment.]
âBrother, for some reason, I canât tell you the whole truth. But about my own current situation, Tumbleweedâs plan, and the reason why my dad left your father without telling youâ Iâm willing to tell you properly, okay?â
Godwin Lopez closed his eyes and exhaled fiercely.
ââŠThen letâs hear it.â
The author has something to say:
Itâs time to become a real team of calamity. XD
Ollie: Anyway, any task I pick will eventually become SSS-level in difficulty. Itâs better to pick SSS-level directly.
What does this mean, friends? Ollie is going to be rich! (X