Chapter 837: Invitation

Upon hearing Spant ask if they had Official Hunter badges, Shang Jianyaowho had also come to the doorrevealed a troubled expression. We do, but

Spant didnt sense the meaning behind his words and immediately interrupted, That would do.

Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and signaled for Genava to make way. She then said to Spant, Lets talk inside.

Spant looked around and saw that there wasnt any commotion from the residents on the same floor. With a quick step, he entered the Old Task Forces suite.

He smiled and praised, You guys are indeed experienced and careful.

Those who havent died after being Ruin Hunters for several years have such vigilance. Jiang Baimian casually patronized him. What kind of mission is it, and how much is the payment? Theres no need to go into detail; we just need you to give us a general summary. We cant agree to your proposal without knowing anything, right? Can you be at ease if we really agreed that easily?

Those who didnt have a certain level of understanding of the mission and chose to partic.i.p.ate were either out of their minds and couldnt care less or werent concerned about the mission but the client and the other Ruin Hunters.

Spant nodded. I understand. This mission is actually relatively simple, but there are certain risks. We need to go somewhere in the nearby mountains and cooperate with the clients subordinates to escort a batch of supplies back. On the way, we might encounter bandits or people hired by their compet.i.tors. We cant rule out the possibility of a battle.

As for the payment, its a total of three Grand Knight gold coins. Although Im alone and you have four people, this is my next mission. I also have to be in charge of contacting the client and dealing with his subordinates. Therefore, it wont be a problem for me to take one and you guys to take two, right?

Three Grand Knight gold coins for five people? They also have subordinates? The batch of supplies that needed to be escorted isnt cheap Yes, theres a high chance of contraband items if they arent using the White Knights official channels despite being worried that their compet.i.tors will get people to rob them in the wilderness.

A very reasonable plan.

Heh heh, the payment is indeed quite generous. But if this mission takes days, it wont be that attractive.

The Old Task Forces initial plan was to stay in Gesterbourg for two weeks to investigate the Eighth Research Inst.i.tute and Shang Jianyaos fathers team. Once they exceeded two weeks and didnt gain anything, it was impossible for them to continue indefinitely. They would choose to leave and head to Ceningmis to carry out a new round of exploration.

When the time came, they might be able to discover some clues in Ceningmis, resulting in the expediting of the investigation in Gesterbourg.

At present, the Old Task Force needed to eat, drink, and pay for their accommodation and electricity every day. If they were frugal, it would cost them ten Knight silver coins. The payment from such a mission was enough for them to stay on for two weeks with some change to spare.

After discovering some clues regarding the mission regarding the Subhuti figurine and obtaining a certain bounty, Jiang Baimian and the others didnt have to worry about not having enough money to stock up on supplies.

The only problem was that if this mission required them to leave Gesterbourg for a few days, it would mess up their plans, and the cost-benefit ratio would be lowered.

It will only take four to five hours to go back and forth. Spant didnt mention that cars were needed. As the hotels receptionist, he knew that the four guests had driven a jeep to Gesterbourg instead of taking the train.

Besides, he could rent a car if he really didnt have one.

If we hurry, we might even make it back in time for lunch. Shang Jianyao expressed his relief.

He then criticized himself. Thats not right. Doesnt this mean that it saves the client our meal allowance? Lunch is included, right?

Yes. Spant had seen many calculative Ruin Hunters, so he wasnt surprised. He added smugly, I helped everyone get it! We can only fight after we have our fill to deal with any accidents.

Jiang Baimian nodded slightly. This mission does sound good.

Theres a robot in your team, so this mission wont be difficult at all, Spant interrupted, attempting to secure the partic.i.p.ation of these Ruin Hunters.

Jiang Baimian smiled at him and changed the topic. But we still have other matters to attend to. We might have to wait until the day after tomorrow. Does that work out?

Spant clearly heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that. No problem. The employers request is to recruit enough manpower in three days. Shall we register at the guild now?

Youre still at work, Shang Jianyao reminded sincerely.

Spant blinked. In the evening then.

Jiang Baimian agreed and sent the Ruin Hunterwho was also a part-time hotel receptionistaway.

Long Yuehong looked at the tightly shut door and said, Our Hunter Badges have our records. Isnt it inappropriate to have them registered?

A record with a high bounty.

When the time came, the Hunters Guild staff and Spant might be terrified.

A team with a bounty of tens of thousands of Oray could easily make others tremble even if they didnt say or do anything. It was easy for words like extremely fierce, murderous, and capricious to automatically surface in their minds.

Shang Jianyao replied righteously, What does it matter? This is the White Knights, not First City.

Im worried that our ident.i.ties will be exposed and attract the attention of the White Knights and the lurking Eighth Research Inst.i.tute. Long Yuehong didnt mention that perhaps many Ruin Hunters, driven by greed, would attack them.

This was because the Old Task Force was most likely a windfall for them.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Shang Jianyao clapped

He praised Long Yuehong, Youve considered everything very thoroughly this time.

He spoke as if he were the team leader.

Jiang Baimian thought for a moment before saying, Register a new Hunter ident.i.ty with our current looks. Then, get Old Ge to hack into the local guilds system, modify our clearance, and upgrade us to Official Hunters so that we can take on subsequent missions.

No problem. Genava mimicked Shang Jianyao and thumped his chest.

After settling this matter, the Old Task Force members sat down again and looked at the mission information regarding the Subhuti figurine.

After the exchange was over, Bai Chen pursed her lips and said, There are no valuable clues.

Theres still something. Jiang Baimian smiled. For example, the people who came into contact with the ascetic monk say that he didnt look too well and that his physical condition was poor. This matches the outcome of him dying while sitting.

Hmm Jiang Baimian pondered for a moment and said, Everyone, lets just do an open discussion and see if we can trigger some inspiration.

Shang Jianyao was the first to speak. He said with a serious expression, Dying from the illness might be real, but it can also be disguised.

Long Yuehong cited the information. The corpse has already been cremated. The Gesterbourg sheriffs a.s.sistant and the coronerwho were in charge of this matterwere found by many Ruin Hunters. They have always indicated that the deceased didnt have any external injuries, was poisoned, or have any traces of him being murdered.

Bai Chen tersely acknowledged it. Although there might be one or two Awakened among so many Ruin Hunters and the corresponding words should be true, we still need to verify them personally.

I mean Shang Jianyao quickly corrected himself. The ascetic monk did die from a disease, but this disease was caused by an Awakeneds ability that leaves no traces.

At this moment, a word surfaced in Long Yuehongs mind: Cardiac Arrest.

Jiang Baimian nodded slightly. Regardless of the situation, from the information, the ascetic monk was sick for a while. Could he sense that he wasnt far from death?

Its hard to say, Shang Jianyao retorted. Why would a person not far from death go to the factory in the middle of the night?

The information indicated that the investigation found no signs of dragging at the scene or any other footprints.

Long Yuehong tried to guess. Maybe he made an appointment there, and that person didnt show up?

Thats a possibility, but n.o.body knows why the deceased went there or who he was meeting. Three years have pa.s.sed, and there are no clues in the information. As Shang Jianyao spoke, he chanted a Buddhist proclamation. Namo Annutara-Samyak-Subhuti. Another possibility is that the monkwho knew that he was about to dietook the initiative to pay respects to the steel-refining furnace in the factory area. Before he pa.s.sed away, he pa.s.sed on in front of a symbol of Tathagata.

Very reasonable. Genava felt that he had been convinced.

Jiang Baimian thought for a moment before saying, Lets first a.s.sume that this possibility is true. How will a monkwho is about to die of illnessdeal with the Buddhist treasure on him?

As a folklore scholar, she called the Subhuti figurine a Buddhist treasure to show its importance.

If it were me, Long Yuehong enthusiastically said, Without any companions, I would hide the Subhuti figurine somewhere in advance and send a telegram to headquarters to inform them of this matter so that they can retrieve it in time. Yes, it was still lost eventually.

Genava moved his metal neck from side to side. If thats the case, the information provided by the employer definitely wouldve included that hidden location. This is a very important clue that can be used to carry out a more effective and targeted investigation.

There was nothing about that in the information.

Then, I dont understand Long Yuehong muttered.

At this moment, Shang Jianyao smiled sinisterly. Maybe the client isnt the monks peers.

Jiang Baimian nodded slightly. Also, why did the ascetic monk come to Gesterbourg, which has a harsh climate, near Icefield when hes in poor health and has a Buddhist treasure? Did he want to expedite his death and lose the Subhuti figurine as quickly as possible?