The Flower of Mercenaries

  Xia Ming could see that the Blood Rose Mercenary Group was quite skilled, their camp was set up to a high standard, located in a low-lying area with high slopes on both sides and only one entrance. As long as they effectively defended the entrance, the entire mercenary group's safety would be guaranteed.

  "Father, we're back!" Clara shouted from afar.

  "How many times have I said it? Call me Captain!" A bright and cheerful laughter echoed through the forest, and a tall man walked out from within.

  He wore a suit of leather armor, with his arms and upper body partially exposed. What made Xia Ming feel a sense of awe was that his body had countless scars of all sizes, showing that he was an adventurer with exceptionally rich experience.

  The man seemed to be scolding Clara, but his tone was tinged with a hint of indulgence, clearly very fond of Clara.

  "Father!" Clara also warmly grasped the man's arm, smiling as she whispered a few words in his ear, and immediately the man's gaze turned towards Xiaoming and the other two.

  "Ah, so it's the respected magician sir." The man smiled slightly at Xiaoming and sized up the three of them with a cautious yet careful gaze. After a brief moment, he burst into loud laughter: "Welcome, welcome! Our mercenary group is in need of some young talents like yours. The magical beasts here are quite troublesome, I'm sure you won't refuse our mutual assistance, right?"

  "Of course, I'd be happy to help." Xia Ming also replied.

  Blood Rose Mercenaries are the cobras of Misty Forest, Xia Ming and others' strength is pretty good, but in Misty Forest they still seem a bit inadequate. With the mercenaries as guides, it's undoubtedly half the work with double the results.

  "I am the commander of Blood Rose, you can just call me Paul. May I ask what are your names?" The mercenary commander smiled and said.

  Xia Ming and the other three also reported their names, anyway, with masks on, names didn't matter.

  "Alright, let's go, Zack! Prepare the good wine and meat. We're treating our noble guests today!" It was clear that Paul was a generous man, and after confirming in his mind that Xiaoming and the others were indeed who they seemed to be, he waved his hand with a smile.

  Xia Ming and the other two walked into the camp, finding that there were indeed nearly a hundred people inside, mostly robust men in their thirties. Each person's face had an air of ferocity and arrogance. Upon Xia Ming and his companions' arrival, they seemed somewhat curious and guarded.

  However, under Captain Paul's explanation, when these mercenaries looked at Xia Ming and his two companions again, they had a hint of reverence. People with strength are worthy of respect wherever they go.

  As for Clara, this little girl seems to be really popular. Everyone who sees her greets her warmly and has a genuine smile on their face. Clara also has a pure smile on her face, and she affectionately asks everyone how they're doing. Her popularity is even higher than Captain Paul's.

  Paul led Xiaoming and three others into the tent, lit a fire, and everyone sat down on the ground.

  Before long, Zack fetched a large pot and Clara brought over some raw meat, putting it into the boiling pot to cook.

  "These are all monster meat, haha, you'll just have to make do with them!" Colonel Paul explained.

  Xia Ming could tell that these were all meats from low-level magical beasts. The meat of magical beasts was much harder to eat than ordinary wild beast meat, being both tough and sour. However, in the current state of the Misty Forest, who still cared about such trivial matters?

  Before long, a savory aroma wafted out of it, causing Tong's stomach, which had been growling for some time, to rumble with hunger.

  Paul waved his hand again, and Zach took out several large leather bags of wine and threw them at Xiaoming and the other two.

  Xia Ming and the three others didn't stand on ceremony either, savoring the strong liquor and eating meat, also having a unique flavor.

  "So, several of you, you are all young and talented, what brings you to the Misty Forest at this time? Could it be that you have also come to hunt the Unicorn Lion King?" After some small talk, Paul finally asked, taking a deep look at Xiaoming and his two companions. These three were so young, and their strength was even beyond the understanding of him, a fifth-level mid-stage warrior, which made him vigilant.

  "We came to the Misty Forest for training, and we're also interested in the Unicorn Lion King. Captain Paul, are there many people who want to hunt the Unicorn Lion King?" Xia Ming asked.

  Paul burst out laughing: "Of course! You've also heard about the order from our Lord of Liet City, right? Our Lord of Liet City is a viscount of the Allen Kingdom, and his only daughter, Miss Joanna, is the number one beauty of Liet City. As long as you hunt down the Unicorn King and get its horn, you'll gain both fame and fortune. Who wouldn't want such a good deal?"

  Paul's face showed a hint of mystery: "I heard that the son of the leader of one of the three major mercenary groups, the Dark Night Mercenaries, and the son of the lord of White Cloud City... basically all the young people with some power in this area have arrived!"

  Xia Ming and three others exchanged a glance, narrowing their eyes.

  Xia Ming wasn't particularly interested in Liuye City's number one beauty, but being able to cross hands with the talented young people from this region made him look forward to it.

  "Does Captain Paul know where Lion King is roughly located?" Xia Ming asked.

  Paul hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said: "My mercenary group and I often come and go in the Misty Forest, so we do know something about the location of the Unicorn Lion King. However, the Unicorn Lion King is located in a more central area of the Misty Forest, and we rarely go there."

  "So, if I may be so bold, Captain Paul, could you provide us with a map of the Misty Forest?" Su Weiwei spoke up at this time, her clear and melodious voice causing everyone to look at her in slight surprise.

  "This woman's voice is really nice, but unfortunately her appearance is just average." The mercenaries all thought it was a pity when they saw Su Weiwei's appearance after she put on the mask.

  "Ah, the map..." Paul smiled and pulled out a scroll from his bosom, saying: "Of course I have a map. This map was drawn by my own hands, it's our greatest treasure after entering and exiting the Misty Forest over a hundred times. I believe that even in the entire Lui City, there aren't many mercenary groups with such a detailed map!"

  Xia Ming's heart skipped a beat as he detected the pride in Paul's tone.

  However, Paul did not immediately hand over the map to them, but smiled and said: "You are all young talents, I'd like to make a deal with you."

  "What's the deal?"

  "It's simple, my mercenary group and I are also heading north, that is, towards the center of the Misty Forest. However, we'll be turning back when we're almost near the center, so during this time, you can travel with us, just for a few days." Paul said with a smile.

  Not a bad deal, anyway, following such a mercenary group is also very safe, it's a win-win situation for both parties.

  "No problem!" Xia Ming immediately agreed.

  "Haha, refreshing!" Paul's loud laughter echoed, and the entire mercenary group relaxed as well. They could all see that although Xiaoming and his two companions were young, their abilities were quite impressive, and now that they had become one of them, they had fewer guards up.

  Paul threw the map to Xiaoming, Xiaoming unfolded the map, on which there were dense annotations, but they were very clear, making it easy for Xiaoming to quickly understand their location.

  They are now in the south of the Misty Forest, further north is the central area of the Misty Forest, and some checkpoints of the Misty Forest are clearly marked on the map.

  Xia Ming and the other two were all very satisfied with this.

  "So, is there anything we can help with?" Su Weiwei asked.

  Paul smiled slightly: "There is only one condition. If we encounter a demon beast or an attack by someone else on the road, it would be best if you all stand on our side."

  "No problem, since we're companions, this is only right!" Tang Ge patted his chest with a righteous expression, but his eyes were fixed on Clara, and the intention was as clear as day.

  Xia Ming smiled slightly, and this Captain Paul was indeed a shrewd but somewhat generous person.

  "Alright, let's eat! Our mercenary flower must be hungry too, haha!" Paul patted Clara's head, and Clara smiled shyly with a hint of joy.

  Having settled the matter, Xiaoming also let go and started eating. Although the monster's meat wasn't very tasty, being able to eat meat in such an environment was already a rare treat.

  Gradually, the sky had darkened, and after a meal, these mercenaries were all chatting while sitting down. Of course, there were also night watch personnel, standing guard one by one outside the camp with spirit and vigor.

  Everyone in the mercenary group was very united, and Xiaoming began to like the atmosphere here. These men were all unscrupulous, drinking heavily, eating meat in large chunks, although they had a mouthful of coarse language, rough and vulgar, even sitting together discussing which bar girl in Lieyang City was better...

  But they were all sincere, and when they learned that Xiaoming's trio goal was the Unicorn King, one by one, the mercenaries gave them a thumbs up, showing their respect - in the eyes of these adventurers who risked their lives, those who dared to challenge were the most worthy of respect.

  As night began to fall, Klara, the beautiful little thing, even danced around the campfire for them, earning countless whistles and cheers.

  "Squad leader, our men have found a nest on the east side... Inside, there are many corpses of magical beasts!" Everyone was laughing at first, but then one of the mercenaries came back to report.

  "Captain Paul suddenly stood up, his spirit lifted: "Nest?"

  "That's right, Captain! Our men found a demon beast den while on patrol. Inside were the corpses of many demon beasts, and most of them were above level 4!" The mercenary boy exclaimed loudly.

  A monster lair, and a monster lair full of corpses!

  The corpse of the beast means a handful of beast cores, as well as the beast's fur and some usable materials - all of which are gold coins, the purpose of the mercenary team's adventure!

  "Haha, praise the gods! It looks like we're going to get rich this time! Everyone, let's get our spirits up and go take a look with Lao!" Paul laughed loudly, and all the team members were invigorated, getting ready.

  Paul looked at Xiaoming and the others: "You guys, come with me to take a look!"

  Xia Ming and the other two nodded, all with a hint of curiosity.