CHAPTER 361: CHAPTER 14: SCENIC VIEWS AND HIDDEN WORRIES

Silver Moon 2nd Year, January.

Although the ice and snow of Linlopes were far from melting, the weather had already begun to warm up little by little.

Just like Christina’s life.

Ever since she met Andrew, she felt that her life had suddenly changed. Not only had it become smooth sailing, but even the troubles she’d caused in the past were resolved one by one by Andrew. Dreams that once seemed out of reach now felt so close.

Christina’s eyes sparkled with light, especially when she looked at Andrew.

Of course, Andrew was another story—constantly worried, anxious. And it could be said with certainty that until he returned from the White Vulture Mercenary Group, he would remain this way the entire month.

Thus, people coming and going through the adventurer guild often witnessed this sight: a gloomy, unsmiling Blood Elf walking alongside a dragon girl who laughed like a fool every day.

"Mr. Duru, what’s wrong with you?"

"Nothing’s wrong."

"But you look so unhappy, like you barely ever smile."

"Really, nothing’s wrong." Saying this, Andrew sighed again, rubbing his forehead with a perplexed look on his face.

Christina stood nearby, blinking her eyes quietly while watching him.

After a long pause, when Andrew turned his head, he found Christina still staring at him. All he could do was say, "I really, really, really have nothing going on. Nobody can smile every single day, right?"

"But I do smile every single day," Christina replied with a hint of grievance.

"Alright, you’re the exception," Andrew said helplessly.

Thanks to completing a major task at lightning speed, the Blood Elf and Dragon Mercenary Group was directly upgraded to a Sixth-Level Mercenary Group by the adventurer guild. This was a mercenary group that had been in existence for just one month. Normally, something like this would be utterly impossible.

As a result, the Blood Elf and Dragon Mercenary Group became the most popular mercenary group within the entire adventurer guild.

Advancing from a Fourth-Level Mercenary Group to a Fifth-Level is relatively straightforward. You just need to go to the adventurer service center, follow the procedures, and submit the required proof of completed tasks as per the rules.

In contrast, advancing from a Fifth-Level Mercenary Group to a Sixth-Level is a far grander affair. The adventurer guild would hold a special ceremony for the promotion, and all the Sixth-Level-and-above mercenary groups in Linlopes, as well as representatives from the eight adventurer halls, would attend.

Presiding over the ceremony was Mr. Mani, the guild master of the adventurer guild, a white-haired human mercenary. It’s said that he retired over a decade ago and now focuses on operating the adventurer guild. He also serves as the military advisor to the local lord, Duke Morrell.

"This is a long-overdue medal. Our Miss Christina is someone nearly every mercenary in Linlopes knows. She’s accomplished many tasks that have left us in awe. Of course, she’s probably messed up even more tasks than that."

The audience below burst into laughter.

After a couple of light coughs, Mr. Mani continued, "We’ve always been thinking about how to properly harness her abilities and even given up at one point. Until the appearance of Mr. Duru."

All eyes turned to Andrew, who was seated in the front row.

"What task could they have possibly completed to advance to Sixth-Level so quickly?"

"No idea. Seems like it was a top-secret mission. I heard it was supposed to take a month, but they completed it in one night. The final reward amounted to nine thousand gold coins."

"Nine thousand gold coins? Good heavens... Our Seventh-Level Mercenary Group didn’t even make that much profit last year, and they earned it in one night?"

"The scary part is, they’re basically just two people. Their expenses are far lower than any other mercenary group."

The audience whispered and murmured among themselves.

Standing on the stage, Mr. Mani continued, "In my eyes, the emergence of Mr. Duru is just as significant as the emergence of Miss Christina. Although his arrival was quiet and far less dazzling than hers, Miss Christina once told me that she was worried countless times that Mr. Duru would abandon her, just like everyone here. All of us would love to have a teammate as powerful as Miss Christina, yet none of us are willing to take on the risks and grow alongside her. But our Mr. Duru is different from everyone else. He was willing to stay by Miss Christina’s side, through thick and thin. Of course, the time hasn’t been particularly long—just barely over a month."

The audience erupted into laughter again.

"But does this not further prove Mr. Duru’s exceptional talent? Prove that he’s the most suitable partner for Miss Christina? In a short month, they’ve completed..." Glancing down at his notes, Mr. Mani read the figure aloud: "One hundred and thirteen tasks."

The mercenaries below gasped in unison.

"Yes, one hundred and thirteen tasks. In just over a month. Including one S-level task, three A-level tasks, and thirty-five B-level tasks. Don’t ask me how they accomplished it; I have no idea. Maybe elves and dragons just don’t need to sleep."

The mercenaries below laughed once more, and their gazes toward Andrew and Christina began to glimmer with admiration.

"Look at them, and then look at yourselves, you slackers. If you could even complete one task a day, I’d be over the moon. Let alone three in a day. Sometimes, you lot drink yourselves into a stupor and sleep for a whole day and night without lifting a finger." A mercenary group leader was already muttering criticisms at his subordinates below.