52 Trump Card

"It's the Red Vanguards!"

"Look, the group of lunatics are back!"

"Hush, keep your voice down..."

The crowds were whispering. Han Jin looked at the direction of the commotion and saw that the professionals in the square had split aside like a tide while several figures swaggered out.

Two sturdy soldiers of the same height stood in front. One was in a heavy armor, the other in a soft armour. They glanced at the crowd around them with cold and frosty eyes. Such coldness and indifference was not deliberately made, but rather, it was from the depth of their hearts after going through countless blood baptism and the tests of life and death.

Behind them was a male magician, luxuriously dressed with a special wand in his hand, which was beset with a hot red magic crystal the size of a fist. The light emitted from the magic crystal dimmed the surroundings which had been illuminated by all the torches around the square.

Next to him was a female elf who walked in soft and light steps, had blue long hair, and had a dark green long bow on her back. The last one was a lanky man in a black cloak, his eyes cold and grim. When he cast a glance at the crowd, Han Jin suddenly felt his throat becoming chilly. Cessacioun had the same feeling as Han Jin, and swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

The elf's eyes lit up when she saw Sunier. She walked past her non-chalantly, and shouted to her teammates in a loud voice, "You'd better not fool around today! Head back to Lily Hotel and rest earlier."

"Why? It's too early to sleep!" The magician turned around and asked, "Strange... Why do you care about us today?"

"Don't forget that we have a task tomorrow." The elf frowned.

"Rest assured, when have we missed anything?" The soldier in front laughed.

They talked and laughed, passed the square, and disappeared onto the street and into the distance, leaving the professionals in the square whispering.

Every field has its admirable elites. Han Jin was fully aware of that. This group was by no means an ordinary mercenary team. The expressions on the faces in the crowd best proved that fact.

"If only we could be like them one day..." Cessacioun let out a sigh.

"We will." Han Jin smiled. "For now, we're still young. But a few years later, we will be as strong as, or even stronger than them."

Cessacioun would sniff at these words if they had been told by anyone else other than Han Jin, but Han Jin's magic had brought them hope for the future! For example, it would be hard for Cessacioun to reach the stage of a high grade warlock within two years on his own, but with Han Jin's help, he could have broken through his bottleneck a month ago. Thus, for him, as long he could still get help from Han Jin, everything was not just a dream!

"My lord, they are.....the Red Vanguards!" Little Joseph said surprisingly in a low tone. His expression was weird as he was trying to stifle a laugh at the ridiculous words said by his employer.

"I know they are the Red Vanguards," Han Jin coldly said as if he didn't understand what Joseph meant. "You got your consulting fee - is there anything you can introduce?"

Little Joseph was dedicated. He patiently started his introduction. The Association of Mercenaries had fourteen one-way magic transferring circles which could transfer mercenaries directly to the depths of the Tarasha Mountains. The mercenaries could be divided into three classes. 

The first class was high grade professionals who only took difficult tasks and hunted high grade holy animals. They would leave directly via the transferring circles, and return through transferring scrolls. Although the trip to and from would cost them lots of golden coins, it saved a lot of time, and allowed them to accept other tasks.

The second class was mercenaries with uneven abilities. They were only competent for some semi-difficult tasks. Some of them might leave through the transferring circles, but none could afford a transferring scroll. Otherwise, all the money they had gotten via risking their lives would either be handed to the Association of Mercenaries, or might not even be enough.

The third class could only travel by themselves.

Han Jin also got to know why Isolated Cliff City was so prosperous. There were two ways to earn money: one was to implement the policy of monopoly, and the other was to make a fortune through wars. In turbulent times like this, wars were occurring everywhere, and the demand for magic crystals had exceeded the supply. Moreover, the management of the Association of Mercenaries had been specialized, and the working efficiency, as well as the safety of mercenaries, had been improved and guaranteed to a large extent. All of this greatly increased the output of magic crystals.

The nine commercial corps of Isolated Cliff City had their reasons for not undermining the foundation of the Association of Mercenaries. Mercenaries were the root of the development of this city. If they poached the high grade mercenaries and employed them as guards, the total income of the city would be significantly declined; sending guards to hunt was sheer bullshit. Mercenaries could get what they earned fairly, but the guards had to hand in most of their hunting results to the commercial corps. In this case, who would be willing to work as an employed guard instead of a free mercenary?

The Red Vanguards were a group of powerful mercenaries. It was said that even the lowest grade among them was a ninth-grade. In Isolated Cliff City, there were at least twenty first-class groups of mercenaries, all living an extravagantly luxurious life. They rested in the most comfortable hotels, drank the best wine, and slept with the most beautiful women.

Little Joseph's eyes were shining with jealousy as he introduced them. Han Jin laughed. "Do you know what sleeping a woman means, kid?"

Little Joseph's face turned red immediately. He pout his lips provocatively. "Don't think I'm ignorant just because I'm young."

"Tell me, how do you sleep a woman?" Cessacioun laughed. He was also a guy full of 'bad ideas'.

"I..." Little Joseph clenched his teeth and was going to argue back when Sunier interrupted them. "Don't consider me invisible. Stop misleading the boy."

Han Jin turned around and found Miss Keeley blushing. Then, she gave him a disdainful stare.

"Ha ha..." Han Jin laughed it off. "Let's go inside then."

"Good idea." Cessacioun nodded.

Han Jin deliberately stayed a few steps back, and asked Sunier in a low voice, "That elf... Do you know her?"

"Yes, her name is Julia, a good friend of my brother," Sunier answered honestly.

"I guess she recognized you too." Han Jin paused. "And she hinted for you to meet her at the Lily Hotel."

"I know." Sunier nodded. "I will let Joseph take me there later. You can go back first."

"Why do you think she wants to see you?"

"I don't know. Perhaps she just wants to ask me about the situation in Wild Willow City. She hasn't been back for over ten years."

"Why didn't she talk to Sunier just now?" Miss Keeley asked curiously.

"There are many things… you need to figure out by yourself, Keeley. You can't always get answers from others, otherwise, you can never really grow up. Remember, nothing will happen for no reason in this world, and that elf must have her own reasons." Han Jin lowered his voice, "Perhaps she has enemies, or she offended someone here and they dared not to provoke the red vanguards. If those people knew Sunier was a friend of hers… they can vent on us instead."

"I got it." Miss Keeley nodded heavily.