Chapter 23:  Extraordinary Gathering 

Chapter 23: Extraordinary Gathering 

In an era where information does not spread very quickly, gatherings initiated by clubs are an important channel for an industry or a class to obtain information.

Although Hobert had never been a soldier and had no intention of joining the army in Ruen, he was still very interested in firsthand information about the Northern and Southern Continents.

Additionally, from the information on the bulletin board, it seemed that this gathering would also involve the trading of extraordinary materials and items. Transactions at a mercenary club with military background would certainly include many extraordinary items suitable for combat, which would be an important channel for Hobert to integrate into the extraordinary world.

Therefore, Hobert valued this gathering highly. But why were so many people gathering in the basement instead of the third floor?

He checked his pocket watch; it was just 1:20 PM, more than an hour before the meeting time Anais had informed him of.

After a brief thought, Hobert had an epiphany. He put down the newspaper and went to the basement door, but was stopped by a waiter.

The waiter was tall and rugged, more like a bodyguard.

The waiter said, "Sorry, sir, this area is only open to certain members."

 Hobert was even more certain of his guess. There was also a gathering in the basement, but it was for the extraordinary, while the third-floor gathering was for ordinary mercenaries.

This made sense; otherwise, if there were a large number of ordinary people at the gathering, the extraordinary transactions would have to be conducted secretly, as if they were illegal.

 Hobert asked, "What do I need to do to participate?"

The waiter replied, "Prove yourself."

"How do I prove myself?"

The waiter shrugged without answering.

 Hobert immediately understood. He activated his spiritual vision and examined the waiter in front of him. The waiter's left shoulder was slightly lower than his right, and his left arm seemed to be protecting his left armpit.

 Hobert concluded, "If I attack your left armpit, I should be able to take you down more easily."

The waiter was slightly stunned. "That's right, my left armpit was injured on the battlefield. You have proven your ability. Please, go ahead."

 Hobert smiled and nodded, then walked down the stairs step by step.

The basement was larger than he had imagined, resembling a small theater, with a stage on one side and rows of seats on the other.

Given the history of the building, it might indeed have been a small theater once.

Many people were already seated. Unlike other extraordinary gatherings, most of the participants here knew each other, so there was no need to wear masks or hoods to conceal their faces.

People sat together in groups of three or five, chatting while waiting for the gathering to start.

 Hobert found a corner to sit in. As it was his first time attending such a gathering, he planned to be just an observer. After all, he had nothing to sell and not enough money to buy anything.

At 1:30 PM, an elderly man with gray hair, wearing a tuxedo and a cloak, and a golden mask, emerged from the backstage. Hobert noticed that the man's shoes had long tips, and his clothes were clearly outdated, as if he had stepped out of a classical oil painting.

However, the aura of authority he exuded made people unable to look at him for long, and they would unconsciously lower their heads in his presence.

 Hobert immediately judged that this was a powerful figure on the path of the Arbiter!

The old man's appearance silenced the crowd.

"Let's begin!" the old man, seated in the center of the stage, commanded.

The gathering officially started. A middle-aged man with a small mustache in the front row was the first to stand up. "My mercenary team has just taken on a mission to retaliate against the Feysac Empire. We are currently short of a teammate skilled in necromancy, preferably someone above Sequence 8, with combat experience in the 'Warrior' or 'Hunter' paths."

Someone asked, "Where do you plan to retaliate against those bastards?"

"I can't disclose the exact location," the middle-aged man replied. "I can only tell you it's in the Southern Continent."

"Not at sea?"

The middle-aged man did not respond, but everyone understood that the Ruen Kingdom did not plan to retaliate against the Feysac Empire at sea.

Many people immediately signed up, and the middle-aged man asked all the applicants to meet him on the second floor after the gathering.

Next, a young man stood up and said, "About half a month ago, an extraordinary event occurred on the west bank of the Tasok River in northern Backlund, where a small forest disappeared and reappeared. I believe everyone remembers this news. Last week, I led a team to investigate and confirmed that it was a relic of the Trensost family from the Fourth Epoch.

"We speculate that there are extraordinary items or characteristics in the relic, which have recently become active for unknown reasons. We now need to recruit a teammate on the 'Corpse Collector' path to deal with possible evil spirits inside! We also need a teammate on the 'Lawyer' path to handle the side effects of extraordinary items and summarize their usage rules."

 Hobert was tempted. The Trensost family was an extraordinary family that mastered the "Black Emperor" path. Whether the relic contained extraordinary items or characteristics, they were likely related to the "Black Emperor" path.

Therefore, the team was recruiting a teammate on the "Lawyer" path, which was also the "Black Emperor" path. Having a teammate on this path would make it easier to summarize the side effects and usage rules of extraordinary items.

 Hobert wanted to participate, but his strength was too weak, and joining such an operation would be dangerous. He had to give up this opportunity.

After that, others formed teams to investigate cult organizations in Southville County or to explore the Southern Continent.

 Hobert was not interested in these activities and did not delve into them.

After the recruitment process ended, the trading session began.

Participants stood up to announce what they wanted to sell or buy.

As Hobert had expected, most of the items traded were extraordinary items that could be used in combat, but they were expensive, and he could not afford them.

Some people also sold extraordinary characteristics, mainly from the "Warrior," "Corpse Collector," "Prisoner," and "Hunter" paths. These four paths were currently the main opponents of the extraordinary in the Ruen Kingdom.

The "Warrior" and "Hunter" paths mostly came from the old rival, the Feysac Empire, while the "Corpse Collector" and "Prisoner" paths mostly came from the local extraordinary in the Southern Continent.

The gathering continued until after 3 PM.

Although the old man on the stage only said "Let's begin" and "That's all for today," his presence made everyone feel secure about the transactions, and the mercenaries forming teams had basic trust in each other.

As he left the basement with the crowd, Hobert made a silent resolution: he needed to work hard to make money!

So, after returning home, Hobert once again studied the three cases given to him by Barton. For now, only his job as a lawyer could provide him with an income.

(End of this chapter)