MTLNOVEL Chapter 05: Adventurer Guild (2)
Andrew looked expressionless.
Holding the flyer, Kristina still had a determined look on her face, staring at him with wide eyes as though she had no idea why Andrew remained silent.
For a while, Andrew could only helplessly turn his face away and let out a long sigh.
"What's wrong?" Kristina blinked and said, "My ad slogan is pretty good, really. Look..."
Before Kristina could read out the slogan, Andrew already snatched the flyer from her hand, turned around, and silently tossed it into a nearby trash can.
Kristina was stunned; she quickly lunged forward, trying to fish it out of the trash can. Andrew stopped her with one hand.
"These flyers are expensive! Once thrown away, they're gone!"
"Trust me, if you want to become a renowned Mercenary Corps Commander like me, you need to listen to me. We're mercenaries, not peddlers. We take on tasks, not hand out flyers."
"But without handing out flyers, we won't get any tasks..." Kristina replied plaintively.
Andrew maintained his expressionless demeanor and quietly stared at her.
Hesitating, Kristina finally nodded: "Alright, I'll listen to you."
"That's more like it." Andrew took a deep breath and continued, "Take me to the place where they issue tasks. The place you mentioned earlier where you need to sign a contract to get tasks."
Kristina bit her lip and nodded silently.
...
Under Kristina's guidance, Andrew moved through the crowded throng and finally arrived at the so-called "task assignment" place.
The location was the open-air plaza at the bottom of the circular structure—essentially the place Andrew had noticed earlier, where some event seemed to be taking place.
Such locations were referred to as "adventurer halls." The Linlopes Adventurer Guild had eight such halls, scattered across eight open-air plazas.
The best tasks were issued here, and interested contracted mercenary groups could participate in bidding, offering their prices. Employers would then select the suitable mercenary group based on capability and prices. For particularly challenging tasks, sometimes multiple mercenary groups were chosen to cooperate. In cases of urgent missions, multiple groups might compete simultaneously, with the fastest one to complete the task earning all the commission.
Of course, the phrase "interested contracted mercenary groups could participate in bidding" clearly didn't include the "Rat and Dragon Mercenary Group."
Sure enough, they were stopped at the entrance before even getting inside.
"Sir," a guard blocking the passage smiled at Andrew, "Are you with her? I saw you two chatting just now."
Andrew glanced at Kristina and replied in a low voice, "Yes, is there a problem?"
Without hesitation, the guard answered, "Sorry, if that's the case, I can't let you in."
Kristina had already lowered her head, her eyes flickering.
"Is this because we haven't signed a contract yet? Actually, I just want to take a look inside. After all, I need to evaluate whether or not to sign with you. If the tasks aren't good enough, why should I sign? Right? Surely you allow a mutual assessment process for collaborators?" Saying this, Andrew tried to move forward.
Before he could take a step, the long axe, which the guard used for ceremonial purposes, was already horizontally blocking his path.
Moreover, Andrew noticed several more guards in the distance dropping what they were doing and walking toward them.
"I believe you've misunderstood, sir," the guard said politely. "We welcome any potential partners to inspect, but not her."
"Her?"
"Yes, her."
Andrew gave Kristina a meaningful look, noticing that she had buried her head even lower.
Before their conversation could finish, a large group of guards had surrounded them.
The leading Guard Commander asked with a stern face, "Has something happened?"
"Not yet, just a minor misunderstanding, Captain," the guard who stopped Andrew replied with a smile to the Guard Commander.
The guard still seemed friendly, but Andrew could tell that the others were far from amicable. Some of them had already placed a hand on their sword hilts. Moreover, the Captain's expression didn't look pleasant.
Causing trouble? Obviously not. They all looked tense—more tense than Kristina herself.
Blinking a couple of times, Andrew spoke softly to the Guard Commander, "May I have a word with you?"
"A word?" The Guard Commander was momentarily taken aback.
Upon hearing this, Kristina suddenly lifted her head and stared wide-eyed.
"Yes, a private conversation. Is that convenient?" Andrew repeated his request.
The Guard Commander looked at Andrew with a puzzled expression. After hesitating for a moment, he nodded: "Alright."
Turning to Kristina, Andrew said, "Wait here for me." Then he walked away with the Guard Commander.
...
The adventurer guild was bustling with people, packed everywhere. Yet, the large group of guards weren't watching anyone else—they were solely focused on Kristina. Even when a few mischievous kids ran into the adventurer hall to play, the guards didn't bother—remaining fixed in position, surrounding Kristina rigidly.
Kristina didn't say or do anything, just stood there blankly as they kept her encircled.