Noira walked out of the Adventurer's Guild with a calm face. After calming down, she realized that she had overreacted earlier. After all, Bessa was just a child. Why did she take it so seriously? Although she had held back in the end, her imposing manner must have scared Bessa. Noira sighed slightly in her heart.
In the end, the reason she was so angry was all because of someone who refused to help her. When the task of hunting the Snow Mist Leopards fell to the Sea Lion Mercenary Corps, Noira had evaluated it. Her conclusion was the same as Chen Ai's - with the strength of the Sea Lion Mercenary Corps, killing the Snow Mist Leopards would not be a problem, but capturing them alive would be challenging.
Noira's plan was to act first and report later. She would take on the task first, then pretend it was an evaluation mistake and, "in a hurry," reluctantly ask for Chen Ai's help. With a reasonable excuse and some persuasion, she could drag Chen Ai out to execute the task together.
Who would have known that this shut-in guy would see through her trick with just one glance and stubbornly refuse to come out with her? Thinking of this, anger surged in Noira's heart, and she walked on the road grinding her teeth in hatred. Even the passers-by were forced to stay far away by her imposing manner.
Noira walked straight towards the Council Chamber in the eastern part of the city.
The Council Chamber was similar to the headquarters of the Mercenary Guild. Various staff members from higher-level mercenary groups were stationed inside, responsible for contacting and negotiating with task issuers.
Usually, tasks did not require negotiations. Mercenaries or adventurers only needed to present their adventurer badges at the reception desk of the Adventurer's Guild to directly receive tasks. However, if it involved hunting high-level monsters or other major tasks, the mercenary group needed to negotiate with the task issuer in the Council Chamber. They would exchange necessary information, discuss specific times, and assign personnel.
Before entering the Council Chamber, each mercenary group would undergo an official review. Only mercenary groups that were at least third level and had passed the assessment could occupy a place in the Council Chamber.
If a mercenary group entered the Council Chamber, the range of tasks they could accept would greatly expand. These tasks often came with much more generous rewards than ordinary tasks. As long as they could complete the tasks well, the development of the mercenary group would be smooth. Entering the Council Chamber was something that every mercenary group aspired to.
Compared to the noisy environment of the Adventurer's Guild, the Council Chamber appeared very quiet, even solemn.
At the entrance of the hall stood a bronze statue of a lion, majestic and roaring towards the distance. This was the symbol of the Council Chamber, representing power and ambition.
Under the bronze statue, members of various mercenary groups hurriedly passed by, well-equipped and with a sharp gaze. They were the elite among mercenaries, distinguished from the bottom-level mercenaries who would get drunk in the guild and bars as soon as they had a bit of money.
The Council Chamber was three floors high and as large as ten Blyth Inn Hotels. The mercenary groups were distributed from top to bottom based on their strength. The first floor housed nearly twenty third-level mercenary groups. On the second floor, the number decreased by half, with ten fourth-level mercenary groups.
On the top floor were the three fifth-level mercenary groups, representing the strongest mercenary forces in Heran City and the pride of Heran City. The Sea Lion Mercenary Corps was one of them.
In a meeting hall on the third floor, a man with gray hair and dressed formally, named Barrett, the chief steward of the Sea Lion Mercenary Corps, was standing there covered in sweat.
This person was strict and acted prudently. As the leader with the longest tenure among the three major mercenary groups, Barrett enjoyed a very high status among mercenaries.
In the meeting hall, there was also a bulky young man with a face full of fat. He sat casually on the leather sofa, legs crossed, with a self-important expression. He didn't care about Barrett, who was usually respected, standing in front of him.
While the respected chief steward Barrett stood in front of him, the obese man suddenly erupted. He slammed the table with his fat hand in anger and shouted, "Do you think I care about those twenty gold coins in compensation? What can twenty gold coins do? They don't even cover the cost of a meal!""No... sir..." Baret quickly shook his head, stuttering as he spoke, despite being known for his composure.
The man reclined back on the sofa, snorting, "I think I have made myself clear. The Beast Fighting Tournament is just around the corner, and I made a promise to the organizers that I would catch this Snow Mist Leopard. At this critical moment, you fools made such a big mistake. Where should I put the face of the Hall family?"
"Your Lordship, I apologize on behalf of the entire Sea Lion Mercenary Corps..." Baret bowed again to apologize.
From morning till noon, Baret didn't even know how many times he had bowed, and his knees had started to feel weak.
"What's the use of your apology?" The viscount scoffed and glanced at Baret with disdain. "I just said it earlier. It was your deputy leader who took on the task. Let your deputy leader come and apologize in person, or be prepared for the Sea Lion Mercenary Corps to be disbanded!" As he spoke, a hint of greed flashed in the viscount's eyes.
For a top-tier mercenary group, this blatant provocation could almost be treated as a declaration of war. If anyone else dared to speak to Baret in this manner, he would have already cut them in half.
But this time, Baret could only force a smile and lower his head. Because the person in front of him, Viscount Ryujin Hall, was someone who could really do what he said.
The Hall family was a noble family with a long history in the northwest region, adjacent to the Coles Duchy. Ryujin was already the thirteenth generation lord.
Through years of careful development and the absorption of surrounding minor nobles, the Hall family's territory had become as large as the Coles Duchy, earning them the nickname "The Poisonous Snake of the Far North". By the time Ryujin's father had reached power, the Hall family had reached its peak.
Although Ryujin was a complete fool, the strength of the Hall family and their powerful army made even Duke Robert, the lord of the Coles Duchy, fear him.
Although the Sea Lion Mercenary Corps was a top-tier mercenary group in the city of Herlan, they had no power to resist such a powerful noble—they were simply at a different level.
If Ryujin insisted on not letting go of the Sea Lion Mercenary Corps and used this incident to pressure the Duke or the mayor of Herlan, the future of the mercenary group would be difficult.
One must not offend a viscount. Baret felt that even if he were to kneel down and apologize, it wouldn't matter.
But the viscount wanted to target Vice Leader Noira, which really put him in a difficult situation.
Just then, crisp footsteps sounded in the hallway, and Baret recognized them as Noira's. He quickly bowed to the viscount and left the guest hall, hurrying towards the approaching fiery red beauty.
When Noira saw Baret, before she could even greet him, she noticed that his expression was very unpleasant.
"Uncle Baret, what happened?" Noira asked.
"His Lordship personally came to demand an explanation. He's in the guest hall now," Baret said, feeling troubled.
"Oh?" Noira murmured softly as her eyes turned towards the guest hall, where she indeed saw the figure of a chubby man.
"His Lordship has been sitting there all morning, and no matter how I pleaded, he refused to let us off. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Noira asked curiously.
"Unless," Baret clenched his fists, forcing each word out of his gritted teeth, "unless, you personally go and apologize to him..."
Having been in the underworld for many years, Baret knew that an "apology" was definitely not as simple as it sounded. These nobles had all sorts of hidden motives, specifically ordering the vice leader instead of the leader to apologize was transparent in its intent.
"I understand," Noira nodded, "I will go and apologize to the viscount."
After saying that, Noira walked straight into the guest hall.
