Chapter 34: I’ll Take This Commission
The afternoon sunlight slanted in through the house, and Old Jack arrived much earlier than expected.
“Chenxi,” Old Jack said, wiping away his sweat, a little short of breath. “I reached her. The meeting is tonight.
The place is the Lord’s Manor.”
“The Lord’s Manor?”
Chenxi set down the dagger he had been wiping.
The Lord’s Manor was some distance away from the town, in the neighboring town.
If he went, then at his current speed, a little over an hour would be enough.
“At the Lord’s Manor? Then the lord is the employer?”
Old Jack shook his head and lowered his voice. “Not the lord.
It is a young girl with an unfamiliar face, staying there.
The lord... seems rather afraid of her.”
Old Jack swallowed. “You’ll need to leave before dark. The road is not short.”
“I understand.”
Chenxi nodded.
Of course he knew that. He was only going to see whether this commission was worth taking or whether he should give it up on the spot.
He slid the dagger back into its sheath, then turned to Hongxu and Lina inside the house.
“I’m heading out for a while to discuss that commission.
If all goes smoothly, I should be back after midnight.
You do not need to come with me. Take care of Liya, and watch your own safety.”
Hongxu had been sitting cross-legged on the floor, staring at the ceiling for no obvious reason. When she heard that, she immediately stood up.
“Eh? I cannot go?
I am not even going to do the commission. There should not be any problem if I just tag along, right?
I want to go too, I want to go too!”
“No.”
Chenxi’s tone was indifferent as he slung the M24 onto his back. He could not give Hongxu even the slightest opening to push further.
If he gave her the smallest gap, she would truly burrow right through it.
“The house needs someone here.
Liya needs someone guarding her.
Only if both you and Lina are here can I be at ease.”
Then he looked straight into Hongxu’s eyes. “Remember this. While I’m away, Lina does not have much combat ability. You are the main force.
Guard the house well.”
Hongxu opened her mouth, but no words came out. The agitated look on her face slowly faded.
She gave a muffled, “Oh,” and her fingers unconsciously began tugging at the hem of her clothes again.
As Chenxi watched her, Hongxu’s image overlapped strangely with the image of the big golden retriever he had owned before transmigrating.
Whenever he was about to leave, it had always looked exactly like this.
“Captain.”
Lina called softly to Chenxi, concern visible in her eyes. “Be careful on the road.”
Chenxi nodded.
“All right. Do not worry.”
He turned to Liya, who was standing with one hand braced against the table. “Rest properly. Lina and Hongxu are both here now. If anything needs doing at home, let the two of them handle it.”
“There is no need for Chenxi to worry about matters at home. Have a safe journey.”
Chenxi said nothing more. He checked his bullets and dagger, picked up a light travel bag, and pushed the door open to leave.
The reluctant gazes behind him could only be ignored.
What else was he supposed to do?
He was only going to talk business. He could not bring everyone along.
He still had to hurry on the road. There was not that much time.
If time were plentiful, then taking them along would not have mattered.
...
Outside, the sun was already on the verge of setting.
It was evening now.
Chenxi narrowed his eyes. He needed to hurry and try to arrive within the hour.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed off with the tip of his foot, and his entire body shot forward like a blur.
To this day, every attribute point he gained from leveling up had still been invested into Agility.
The road leading to the Lord’s Manor was a hard-packed dirt road.
That made running along it rather comfortable. The scenery on both sides flew backward at great speed.
The land around him was covered in withered grass, and the trees were sparse and scattered.
For the sake of safety, there were no forests between the two towns.
No one could say for certain whether some monster might be lurking inside the woods.
By the time the sky had gone fully dark, it should have been around seven in the evening if measured on a twenty-four-hour clock.
From far away, Chenxi saw the outline of the tall structure.
A fortress built of stone, with lamplight spilling from its high windows.
A very classic Western-style castle.
As he drew closer, he saw two guards standing at the gate in crude cloth armor.
As for iron armor, that was not something the lord of a small city could possess.
A mercenary might obtain it through tremendous effort. That was not a problem.
But if a city lord possessed something like that without imperial recognition, then the problem would be very great indeed.
The moment the two guards saw Chenxi, they immediately grew wary, leveling their spears at him.
“Who are you? Do you not know that at this hour the lord has already retired?”
Chenxi gave Old Jack’s name and explained why he had come.
One of the guards sized him up a few times. After taking Chenxi’s adventurer identification, he compared it carefully, up and down.
There was a trace of scrutiny in his gaze, but he said nothing. He only nodded and said curtly, “Follow me.”
The guard turned and led the way. Chenxi could feel him stealing glances at him from the corner of his eye from time to time.
Chenxi followed in silence and said nothing. He merely raised his vigilance a little.
The courtyard was enormous, and their footsteps echoed in the stillness.
After walking for about ten minutes, the guard brought him to a heavy oak door on the side of the main keep, its surface carved with elaborate patterns.
At first glance, Chenxi had only one feeling: this door definitely was not cheap!
“This is the place. She is waiting inside. Remember to knock before you enter.”
After saying that, the guard turned and left without waiting for Chenxi to respond, as though he did not want to remain there for even a moment longer.
Standing before the door, Chenxi wore a puzzled expression beneath his hood.
What was all this about? Why was he so frightened?
Was that client really that terrifying?
He could not hear anything from outside.
It was very quiet.
Was there truly any need to be this afraid?
How frightening could she be, really? Could she be scarier than Black Snow White, or the Little Black Mermaid?
Surely she could not be scarier than Romeo and the Predator?
He raised a hand and knocked three times.
“Come in.”
A crisp and pleasant female voice drifted out from within.
If he were the sort to be captivated by voices, then in that instant he would already... ahem.
The voice really was beautiful. It was the kind of voice that would make one’s imagination run wild just from hearing it.
Well, Chenxi admitted that his imagination had indeed run wild.
What his mind imagined was irrelevant. His face remained expressionless as ever.
Chenxi pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The room was smaller than he had imagined, but exquisitely furnished.
A deep crimson carpet covered the floor, swallowing almost all sound beneath his steps.
The walls were covered in dark-patterned wallpaper, and several crystal wall lamps cast a soft glow.
In the center of the room stood a set of dark velvet sofas.
One person sat there.
A girl.
She looked very young, around fifteen or sixteen.
She wore a silver-gray dress tailored perfectly to her figure, and the fabric alone looked extremely expensive.
What drew the eye most was her white hair. It was not the white of old age, but a silver-white like moonlight, falling smoothly over her shoulders.
She was holding an exquisite white porcelain teacup and sipping from it in small mouthfuls.
Hearing the door open, she lifted her eyes.
They were a pair of pure crimson pupils, and she smiled elegantly and nodded to Chenxi.
The smile was so graceful that it was impossible to fault.
But to be honest, Chenxi found it somewhat revolting.
It was too false.
Chenxi remained standing by the door, his gaze sweeping quickly across the room.
There was no one else inside.
The light from the crystal lamps fell over her silver-white hair and her crimson eyes, giving her an inhuman air.
The two of them sized each other up in silence.
The girl set down her teacup, and the porcelain made a crisp sound against the saucer.
She looked Chenxi over from top to bottom, her gaze passing over his dust-stained boots and his worn old robe before returning to his expressionless face.
Not once did the expression in her eyes change in the slightest.
Her smile remained elegant and composed throughout.
“So you are the adventurer Mr. Jack introduced?”
The girl spoke, her voice still as crisp as before, smiling sweetly at Chenxi.
“What is your name, sir?”
“Chenxi.”
Chenxi answered without any unnecessary words. The girl before him gave him a profoundly false feeling.
He disliked it. His guard was raised to the utmost.
He did not walk deeper into the room. He remained by the door, keeping an appropriate distance.
“Chenxi... what a lovely name.”
The girl repeated it softly, her crimson eyes resting on him. “I am the employer. You may call me Anastasia.”
She did not mention a surname, and clearly had no intention of doing so.
Anastasia?
Chenxi suddenly felt the urge to ask whether she happened to be an imperial princess.
“Sit.”
She indicated the single sofa opposite her with a tilt of her chin.
Chenxi silently walked into the room and sat down.
She was only a young girl, yet she gave him immense pressure.
He sat very straight, his body not relaxed in the slightest.
He set his bag down by his feet and took off the M24 as well.
At this distance, a sniper rifle would be of very limited use.
The Blade of Destiny hidden inside his robe, however, he did not take out.
Chenxi looked at Anastasia, seated on the opposite sofa, and waited for her to continue.
He was already rather reluctant to take this job. This girl clearly did not belong here at all. She had very obviously come from somewhere far grander.
Anastasia lifted her teacup again and took another small sip, her slender fingers curled elegantly around the handle.
She set the cup down and finally got to the point, looking directly at Chenxi.
“I am going to Brightstone Town in the north.
Escort me there safely, and the two hundred gold coins are yours.
The deposit is fifty.”
She spoke directly, without needless pleasantries.
Though her smile remained in place, Chenxi could sense her disdain.
Disdain was fine. It did not matter.
As long as she paid properly, that was enough.
There were plenty of people who looked down on him. Who exactly did she think she was?
“Brightstone Town...”
Chenxi rapidly ran through the map in his mind.
It was to the north. Not close, but not too far either.
With a hired carriage, it would take five or six days.
The road would pass through a stretch of forest. It was not peaceful there. Sometimes small bands of brigands or wandering magical beasts appeared.
“What route?
How are we traveling?
Carriage or horseback?
Will it be only you?”
Chenxi immediately asked for the information he needed. Only with that information could he decide whether to accept or reject the job.
As far as the destination itself went, there was no real problem.
The outward trip would take five or six days, but the return would not require the same pace.
If all went smoothly, the entire commission could be completed in ten days.
Ten days. Two hundred gold.
And only for him alone.
This job could be taken.
Anastasia tilted her head slightly, as though Chenxi had asked a few too many questions.
She swung her legs, which hung over the edge of the sofa, her delicate little leather shoes spotless.
“You choose the route. Just avoid trouble.
A carriage. I do not ride horses.
As for the escort, besides me, there is one more...”
She lifted her chin lightly, and a full-figured maid stepped out.
“This is the maid responsible for my daily life. She is not particularly skilled in combat.”
Then she looked at Chenxi.
“Any other questions?”
“The schedule. Is there any time limit?”
Chenxi continued.
“The sooner the better.”
Anastasia’s tone remained unchanged.
“Tomorrow morning would be ideal.
I do not wish to remain here any longer.
As for a deadline...”
The corner of her mouth seemed to curve slightly, a very slight movement.
“So long as you do not deliberately waste time on the road, it does not matter. I require only that we arrive safely.”
Chenxi was silent for several seconds while his mind raced.
On the surface, there really did not seem to be any issue. It looked like nothing more than a simple escort mission.
But if it was truly that simple, why was she offering so much gold?
“Is some powerful person hunting you down? Or have you gotten yourself into some sort of trouble?”
Anastasia could not help but laugh.
“You do have an active imagination. None of that is true.
The only reason I offered such a high price is because I wish to arrive safely.
Besides you, I have also hired ordinary guards. At most, we may only run into a few brigands or magical beasts.”
Anastasia leaned forward slightly.
“If those ordinary people cannot solve something, but you can, then you are to act.”
She looked at Chenxi.
“That is why I am paying such a high price. I want to reach Brightstone Town in the safest and smoothest possible condition.”
Having said that, she leaned back against the sofa once more.
“That is all. If you can accept it, then accept it. If not, I can find someone else.”
Chenxi quickly ran through everything in his head. There truly did not seem to be any problem.
“All right.”
Chenxi made his decision. Judging purely by the terms in front of him, this really was an extremely lucrative job.
“I accept. We gather at the town entrance tomorrow morning.”
Anastasia did not seem surprised by the answer in the slightest. She merely nodded.
“Very good. The fifty-gold deposit will be given to you before departure tomorrow morning.”
“Then you may leave. I must rest as well.”
“All right.”
Chenxi rose and slung all his equipment back onto himself.
“You and your people should prepare your own horses and necessities. We leave tomorrow morning.”
Anastasia said nothing more. She only lifted her teacup again, those crimson eyes watching him over the rim, which counted as silent assent.
Chenxi did not look at her again. He turned and strode out of that overly luxurious room.
The heavy oak door shut behind him, cutting off the light of the crystal lamps and the figure of the white-haired girl.
The cold air outside refreshed his mind immediately.
He needed to get back quickly. If he returned too late, Hongxu would worry.
...
“Mayfield, how strong is he?”
Anastasia took a light sip of black tea, its fragrance drifting through the room.
The maid behind her bent slightly at the waist.
“Miss, although he is only a lower-ranked adventurer, for some reason he constantly gives me a faint sense of danger.
His strength is likely not as simple as what he has shown.”
Anastasia looked somewhat surprised. She had not expected him to receive such high praise from Mayfield.
“How unexpected. To think a place this small would truly have a capable adventurer.
Still, I believe having you is already enough.”
“Miss, this is your first time traveling on your own. It is still best to be careful in all things.”
Mayfield’s voice was gentle.
“Oh, what is there to be careful about? Mayfield is invincible!”
She set down her tea and immediately revealed a lazy expression, completely different from the elegant and poised girl from before.
“Miss, you must not relax just because no one else is here.”
“What does it matter? It is not as though Mayfield would ever tell Father!”
Mayfield looked helplessly at her young lady, who was now rolling about on the floor.
Hopefully... everything would go smoothly.
Turning her head, she looked out at the sky beyond the window.
It seemed that... it would rain tomorrow.