Chapter 147: Superior-Grade

“Did you people always work by yourself? Never joined a mercenary team before?” Moxinke asked with half a smile.

“Yes. What’s wrong?” Reg was puzzled.

“You need to pass the Mercenary Association’s test before you can become a certified mercenary team. You need to submit information such as the names of the members, founding date, and so on. That way, any potential customers can check our backgrounds as long as they have a bit of gold,” Moxinke said.

“Then what shall we do?”

“Talk directly with them. Even if we can’t reach a deal, we lose nothing. We don’t desperately need money anyway,” Moxinke casually said. In all honesty, Moxinke hoped they wouldn’t reach an agreement. He didn’t particularly enjoy scamming people.

Reg gave it a thought, then stood up and walked over to the young magicians. Some of them noticed Reg as he approached them, and curiously looked at him up and down.

“Excuse me, I heard you wish to find a Hydra’s nest? And need a guide?” Reg asked with a smile.

“Yes. Who are you?” The young man in the forefront stood up.

“Reg, a seventh grade thief,” Reg replied politely. “Six months ago, I found a Hydra’s nest by chance. I remember it vividly, because the situation at the time was quite dire. If you are interested, I can take you there.” He deliberately mentioned the time so that he could explain for himself when they got there.

“Great!” Exclaimed the young man. He reached out his hand. “My name is Asa, a sixth grade warlock. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Reg reached out his hand as well. “My task is only to lead you there, right?”

Cessacioun secretly curled his lips. He was also a sixth grade warlock, but unlike the young man who had received proper training, he was only a self-educated magician. These two kinds of magicians always looked down on each other.

“Of course.” The young man named Asa nodded. “I know it’s very dangerous to walk through the Tarasha Mountains, but rest assured, we can handle all the rest.”

“So… can we sign a contract?” Reg said smilingly.

The young man paused, left his seat, and walked over to the woman who was sitting with her back to the hall. His expression turned slightly nervous. “Headmaster…”

The conversations in the hall stopped as all eyes shifted to the woman. You couldn’t call someone by any title you wished. If the young man wanted to show respect, a simple ‘Lady’ would suffice, yet he had called her ‘Headmaster’ instead.

The mercenaries were all lynx-eyed, and knew from the appearance of those young magicians that they were all rookies from a magic academy. Only a few such academies existed on the continent, and they were usually run by one headmaster and two assistant headmasters. Those who managed to become headmasters were usually proud magicians with unparalleled power. That is to say, the woman was at least a top grade professional, an eleventh-grade magus, or even a superior grade — a grand magus who could compete with the legendary superior grade creatures such as giant dragons, angels, and demons!

If Zaganide or Dismark came, the whole of Isolated Cliff City would be astir. Meanwhile, this woman was at least as powerful as either of them, not to mention the fact that magicians were usually more powerful than druids and knights!

The mercenaries finally understood why these rookies dared to look for Hydras. With the protection of the headmaster from a magic academy, hydras, which struck fear into the hearts of mercenaries and frightened them to take detours, were nothing to be afraid of in the eyes of these young magicians!

Those who had stared at the woman with disrespectful eyes all nervously turned their heads, while the contempt in their eyes disappeared as well. Reg was also startled. He had just wanted to earn some quick coins, but had instead put himself into a dilemma. How would he face the wrath of a magus once they realized he had cheated them?

“This is your own business, so decide for yourself. Don’t bother me with it,” the woman said in a cold voice.

“Of course, Headmaster,” Asa responded and slowly returned to his seat.

Reg hoped the young man would change his mind and forget about the damn Hydra nest. Unfortunately, Asa said in a friendly tone, “We can go to the Mercenary Association to sign a contract now. Are they your friends?” This said, he cast a glance at Han Jin and the others.

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“Yes, they are,” Reg replied, knowing that he could not lie to the young man. After all, Reg had come from that direction.

“Tell your friends to wait here for a moment. We will be quick.”

“Of course,” Reg forced out a reply. He turned around and looked at Han Jin, hoping to get some help from him.

“What should we do?” Han Jin asked in a low voice. Cessacioun had already told him what the title ‘Headmaster’ entailed. He was discouraged too.

Sunier gave Han Jin a silent kick and wrote something with her finger: stop talking!

Han Jin was puzzled and looked at her. Sunier pointed to her ears. Cessacioun understood suddenly. As a magus, the woman had countless ways to hear every conversation in the hall if she so wished.

Without any suggestions from Han Jin, Reg had to slowly walk out, following the young man.

The whole hall remained silent. Even the sound of chewing quieted down. The young magicians also stopped their wild laughter in such a quiet atmosphere.

Not long later, Reg and the young man both came back and separately headed toward their own companions. Reg was about to say something, but Sunier immediately winked at him. While from that direction, Asa’s voice came. “Headmaster, we have made the decision to rest tonight and leave tomorrow morning.”

“Rest? You have already rested for more than 20 years; is that still not enough?” the woman coldly said.

Asa showed a bitter smile and asked, “Then would you suggest…”

The mercenaries nearby started to feel sympathetic toward the young magicians. Though their safety was guaranteed under the company of their headmaster, it would definitely be a grueling experience for them. Besides, anyone who reached a high level in their field was usually eccentric, and even callous.

“Leave now. The earlier you finish your task, the earlier I can return.”

Asa looked at Reg as if asking for his opinion, while Reg, Moxinke, and the others were all looking at Han Jin. Han Jin slowly stood up after giving it a thought. “Then leave now. We have nothing to prepare.” Unlike the others, Han Jin was not afraid of any legendary superior grade, because he was confident that he would eventually surpass all of them one day. To be accurate, he was, at most, curious and cautious about them. In other words, he wouldn’t offend a superior grade for no reason, but still wanted to learn how much energy they possessed.

“Great.” The young man appreciated Han Jin’s forthright manner and nodded. “Irwin, pay our bills, and theirs as well. We will leave right now!”

The woman who was sitting with her back to the hall stood up. When she turned around, the air in the hall seemed to freeze. All those in the hall opened their eyes wide, including Reg and Sunier. They had all thought that, as the headmaster of a magic academy, the woman would have to be at least in her sixties or seventies. Without the experience accumulated during the long years, no matter how clever she was, she could not reach such a high position.

Yet, the woman in front of them defied all common sense. Everyone had thought she was just an old hag who maintained her skin well, and no one had thought she could be so young! But that wasn’t important. Compared to her face, her age wasn’t important.

It was a particularly beautiful face with pure and white skin. Under two arched eyebrows, which gave a sense of softness, were a pair of big eyes, glittering and clear. Her long and curved eyelashes made her look even more charming and beautiful. Her mouth was closed, and her thin lips were like sharp blades, giving her an overall foreboding quality.

Her overall temperament had nothing to do with charming, however her expression was so cold that she looked like she was preparing for a duel. Each movement and each glance were filled with iciness, contempt, and superciliousness. It was hard to believe that such soft eyebrows, pure and white skin, and charming eyes could be on a face as cold as a century old iceberg.

In her hand was a lurid golden magic wand, with a golden sphere as big as Moxinke’s fist inserted in one end. On top of that, crystals of different elements were embedded in the sphere. There was no need to take a closer look; anyone who wasn’t blind could tell that they were extremely refined, high quality magic crystals.

During such chaotic times, both her beautiful face and the wand in her hand would become alluring targets. But she didn’t conceal them, nor did she want to, which was enough to prove her confidence.

Even Sunier was astonished. She suddenly had the urge to take off her mask to see who was prettier, like a swordsman who had met his match.

Sunier didn’t come to herself until a moment later, and the first person she looked at was Han Jin, who was tidying up his robe as if nothing had happened. On the other hand, Moxinke, Cessacioun, and Reg were still gape-mouthed. Seeing this, a sweet smile crept on her face.

“Come on. What are you looking at?” Han Jin said impatiently. With his experience with modern technology, his resistance to pretty faces was unmatched in this world. No matter how pretty someone looked, he would simply treat them like another poster.