CHAPTER 339: CHAPTER 59: HOLY MARK SAND FACE

Luo Lin recognized the visitor; he was Batesin, the steward of the Bailu County Lord Mansion.

He had previously represented Bailu County for several visits to Five Saints Mercenary Town, and Luo Lin still had some impressions of him.

Bailu County needed to recruit mercenaries?

After hearing Batesin’s request, Luo Lin’s eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly. Personally, she didn’t like Viscount Mo’er; he was crude and nearly harsh when dealing with soldiers beneath him.

Such a person, if he were to recruit mercenaries, a slight disagreement could easily lead to a fight, and she didn’t want the Mercenary Guild to be troubled with this sort of hassle.

"Steward Batesin, Bailu County has its own dedicated County Guard Army, it seems unnecessary for them to recruit mercenaries," Luo Lin said, her understanding of Bailu County still limited to the period before winter arrived.

As Bailu County was not immediately against the Xuan Beast Ridge, there was no need to worry about the impact of beast tides, and the adjacent county was the lordless Fengdan County, which posed no threat either. Even if occasional bandits and thieves emerged, the County Guard Army was already more than capable of dealing with them.

Steward Batesin smiled somewhat awkwardly, then said, "Miss Luo Lin misunderstands, this time, I am not here on behalf of Bailu County. The one issuing the recruitment commission is my new lord, Lord Yue of Fengdan County."

Due to the heavy snow sealing the mountains and Yue Jinghua’s deliberate blockade, the news of Fengdan County having a lord had not yet spread between Fengdan and Bailu counties.

Fengdan County has a lord now?

This news could be said to be the most explosive that Luo Lin had heard since the beginning of spring this year.

Despite being a lordless county, the fact that Fengdan was once the feudal territory of the former noble family of the Dragon War Empire—the Blood Cherry Duke Mansion—is common knowledge.

The new lord has the surname Yue? Could it be that the Duke Mansion has found a successor, and now wants to rebuild the feudal territory?

Luo Lin then recalled that several days ago, some mercenaries who had passed through Fengdan County mentioned that there had been a conflict between Fengdan County and Bailu County, both counties were in a standoff.

Even the old steward Batesin of Bailu County was poached; it was evident that Fengdan County’s new lord was quite resourceful.

Luo Lin looked at Steward Batesin, who was spirited and proud; it seemed that the facts were likely as suspected.

To Five Saints Town, Fengdan County had always been an irrelevant existence, but now it suddenly had a lord, and moreover, this person was requesting to recruit mercenaries?

Recruiting mercenaries would not be a small amount of money, suggesting that the financial strength of the new lord should not be underestimated.

As an outstanding receptionist and a sharp liaison, Luo Lin knew that she had to report the matter back to the bigwigs of the Mercenary Guild in the shortest possible time.

Thinking so, Luo Lin’s expression remained unchanged on the surface. She politely invited Steward Batesin to sit opposite the two female guests, "That is truly congratulatory news, the people of Fengdan County have finally escaped their plight. May I know how many mercenaries does the lord wish to recruit this time?"

"One hundred mercenaries," Steward Batesin had discussed with Hong Ling Tengwu and others before setting off. They unanimously agreed that about one hundred mercenaries, divided into five small squads, stationed around Fengdan County for patrols, would be sufficient to deal with potential beast and enemy attacks.

"Recruiting a hundred mercenaries is no small number. May I ask what conditions Lord is offering for recruitment?" Luo Lin was shocked by the new Lord’s generous offer and was quickly determining the appropriate candidates in her mind.

Fortunately, this is Five Saints Town. If it were anywhere else, it would be impossible to gather a hundred mercenaries.

"The price will be absolutely reasonable. The hiring period is one year, and the salary will be calculated monthly based on the rank of the mercenaries. We need seventy One-star Mercenaries, offering one hundred Third-level Dark Pills each, twenty Two-star Mercenaries, offering one thousand Third-level Dark Pills each, nine Three-star Mercenaries, offering ten thousand Dark Pills each, and one Five-star Mercenary, offering one million Third-level Dark Pills," Batesin laid out his terms.

Five-star Mercenary?

The two female guests sitting aside, upon hearing Batesin’s request, also looked over.

Earlier, Luo Lin had mentioned that the town’s Five-star Mercenaries were very limited, currently only Li Rui qualified. The high price of one million Dark Pills was indeed tempting. If Li Rui accepted this so-called mercenary employment, it would mean that they would not be able to find a suitable escort for their mission.

As proud as they were, how could they allow a few dirty-looking lowlifes to steal the mercenaries from them?

"You, tell them we’ve already booked the Five-star Mercenary Li Rui, stop them from entertaining any hopes of hiring him," the previously vocal female guest rudely interrupted.

Batesin and Luo Lin were still talking when they were abruptly interrupted, both showing a trace of displeasure.

Batesin glanced at the female guest’s attire and snorted, "Miss, you must be new to the Mercenary Guild. Five-star Mercenaries take on tasks based on their own will."

"Heh, this gentleman is right. I am more interested in this gentleman’s task," interrupted a burly middle-aged mercenary with jujube-red hair as he strode in.

The burly mercenary had a towering frame covered in rock-like muscles, carrying on his back a Sixth-level long-armed macaque face ape, the size of a small hill, which he threw onto the ground.

He was Li Rui, one of the few Five-star Mercenaries in Five Saints Town.

Upon hearing him speak, Batesin’s face immediately lit up with joy. In truth, he in this round of mercenary recruitment needed high-level mercenaries the most.

A Five-star Mercenary can even be worth seventy One-star Mercenaries. That is precisely why, before leaving, Yue Jinghua offered the shocking high price of one million Dark Pills.

Li Rui, in Five Saints Town, is also a powerhouse. As long as he builds a good relationship with him, future recruitment in Five Saints Town would become much easier. Recently, he just happened to need a sum of money for turnover, so when he heard Batesin mention one million Dark Pills as soon as he entered the door, he immediately rushed to take on the task.

"Are you implying our offered price isn’t high enough? Do you know who our Miss is?" the female guest argued with a red face, helpless to decide on such a high price of one million Dark Pills.

The female guest anxiously looked to the other cloaked female guest, who had been quiet since entering the Guild, not uttering a word.

"Cailing, show some respect. Mr. Li Rui, if I may offer terms that are even more tempting than one million Dark Pills, would you consider changing your mind?" suddenly spoke the cloaked female guest. A pair of hands, as white and delicate as jade, emerged from her cloak, and her voice was as melodious as that of a spring oriole.

As she spoke, she lifted her cloak, and upon seeing her face, everyone in the Mercenary Guild drew a sharp breath, "Holy Mark Sand Face."