Chapter 20 - Arthur the Mercenary

Today is an unusual day for Arthur, he even lost sleep last night tossing and turning.

 Looking at the green-colored, spiked stone house in front of him, Arthur clenched his fists so tightly with excitement that his palms were already slightly sweaty.

 This was the Beland Continent Mercenary Union's branch in Aures City, China.

 Arthur was practically no stranger to the mercenary union, having followed Tony or Randall to pick up and deliver assignments more than once before, but this was different, today was the day Arthur officially registered as a mercenary!

 This meant that from today onwards, Arthur could receive commissions for his missions like any other mercenary, instead of relying on Randall's pocket money of a few silver coins a month.

 This means that starting today, the skinny kid from back then can support himself on his own!

 A pair of large hands gently rubbed Arthur's head. Cairns had purposely accompanied Arthur over to register today, and as an old mercenary he understood the teenager's excitement at this time.

 Cairns led Arthur straight into the mercenary union branch. As soon as he entered, Brandon Phil, the head of the mercenary branch, greeted him with a smile.

 Although the "Blue Goblin" is a newcomer in these years, but in the past two years, it has become the No. 1 mercenary group in Hua Aores City, so Brandon naturally wants to receive such a big patron personally.

 Arthur's registration was also handled personally by Brandon, who took it upon himself to solicit it.

 In fact, the registration procedure for new mercenaries was not complicated, as long as they possessed the strength of a first-class warrior, belonged to a mercenary regiment on the register of the Mercenary Union, and swore to abide by the code of mercenaries and defend the honor of mercenaries under the watchful eye of the statue of the king of mercenaries, Amy.

 After registering Arthur's age, household registration, martial arts rank, and the mercenary group he belonged to in a quaint magic manual, Arthur was considered an official mercenary.

 This magical magic manual was the biggest secret of the Continental Mercenary Union, and every branch of the union had a copy. As long as one registered on one of the books, the same information would be added to the magic manuals of the other branches. In the future, any mission Arthur accomplished anywhere on the continent would be recorded in the book and become a proof of the mercenary's rank advancement.

 "Welcome to the Mercenary Union, from today onwards you are a G-rank mercenary, please never forget the mercenary's creed!" Brandon smiled and took out a badge and handed it to Arthur.

 It was a bronze medallion in the shape of a shield, with a crossed longsword and sharp axe carved in relief on the face of the shield.

 The shield, longsword and sharp axe symbolize guardianship, trust and courage in the mercenary's creed, respectively!

 Bronze, on the other hand, represents the lowest of the mercenary ranks, the junior mercenary, corresponding to the G-rank and E-rank mercenaries, and on top of that there is the intermediate silver mercenary badge, the advanced gold mercenary badge, and the top-level purple-gold badge.

 Cairns took the bronze badge from Brandon and personally pinned it to Arthur's left breast of his leather armor before giving Arthur a firm pat on the shoulder, "Arthur, welcome to the Blue Leprechauns Mercenaries officially!"

 "Yes, Chief!" Arthur smiled a heartfelt smile as he brought his feet together and struck his own chest with the fist of his right hand.

 It's a standard mercenary salute, signifying guarding with one's life.

 Throughout the entire process, behind Brandon there had been a flaxen-haired little girl looking at Arthur silently with curious eyes. The girl's thin, small face, curved nose, and a few freckles growing sporadically on both sides of the bridge of her nose instead made the girl look playful and cute.

 The girl immediately hid her face behind Brandon when Arthur noticed her.

 "Boy, I have a gift for you." Cairns said as he handed Arthur a small, delicate box of astral wood.

 Astral Wood is an extremely rare and expensive wood, named after the star-like stars that cover the surface of the cut wood, which is only produced in the Forest of Dreams within the elven territory. This wood is only produced in the Forest of Dreams in the Elven Territory. Not only does it not decay for thousands of years, but it can also prevent the loss of magic elements from the magical items that are put into it after it is made into boxes and other items.

 Just from this box alone, you can tell that the gifts in it must be worth a lot of money!

 Arthur was a little surprised and his hand trembled slightly as he took the box, this was the first time Arthur had ever received a gift since he was a child.

 Under Cairns' encouraging gaze, Arthur gently opened the lid of the box.

 The girl behind Brandon poked her head out as well, curious as to what kind of gift was in the box, only to have disappointment plastered on her face immediately afterward.

 Inside the box was a white pendant in the shape of a hexagram. The material of the pendant could not be seen, it seemed to be jade, and even if it was jade, it was of the worst grade, the surface was neither glossy nor oily, and the white color was slightly yellowish. It was certain that this was not a magical item at all, and no flow of magical elements could be felt from it.

 Arthur, however, was not in any way disappointed; the fact that Head Cairns was able to give himself a gift in itself outweighed the value of any gift.

 "Take it with you, it's not very valuable, but I've been carrying it as an amulet before, and now that I've given it to you, I hope it will protect your mercenary career just as well!"

 Arthur carried the pendant carefully close to his chest, the empty box still held tightly in his hand.

 Cairns laughed at this, "Arthur, let's not have the box, let's give it to that little girl."

 Arthur, though a little reluctant, had never been a cheap man, and since Cairns had said so, he graciously handed the box to the girl.

 The girl behind Brandon bristled not reaching for it, a look of obvious disgust on her face.

 While the girl didn't understand, Brandon knew the value of this little box of astral wood and took it from Arthur with a big smile on his face, "I'll thank Captain Cairns for her, this gift is simply too valuable!"

 "It's just a small thing, and thanks to Chairman Brandon, we'll have to think of us 'Blue Leprechauns' as a priority for any more of these high-paying commissioned tasks in the future."

 "Definitely, definitely. The union also depends on the support of Chief Cairns and the 'Blue Sirens'."

 This passing favor from Cairns was actually for Brandon. It should be known that the mercenary union serves as an intermediary platform between employers and mercenaries, and the president's hands are in control of a large amount of resources. The mercenary tasks can either be openly released for the mercenaries to take, or they can be prioritized and recommended to qualified mercenary groups, as long as they can successfully complete the commission, the employer doesn't mind how the mercenary union operates internally. In addition, in the vast sea of commissioned tasks, there are always some tasks that are low in difficulty and well-paid, and some seemingly ordinary tasks that actually carry great risks. All in all, a good relationship with the mercenary union is beneficial but not harmful.

 A few more pleasantries were exchanged, and Brandon personally escorted Cairns out of the union again.

 As soon as he exited the mercenary union, Arthur immediately became apoplectic.

 The look naturally fell on Cairns, "I hear Tony and the boys even arranged a celebration for you at the Nightingale Bar?"

 Arthur smiled shyly, "Yes, Chief."

 "Then you don't need to accompany me back to the mercenary group, go on!"

 "Thank you, Captain!" Arthur saluted Cairns, turned and sped off.

 Cairns couldn't help but laugh and shake his head, "Still a kid even after becoming a mercenary!"

 "Right, tell Tony and the others not to stay up too late, they have a mission in the morning!" Cairns suddenly remembered what he had to instruct and was busy yelling at Arthur's back.

 Just Arthur has long been a smoke without a trace, leaving only in place shaking his head and laughing bitterly Cairns ...