Overlord: Start from the Goblin Lair.

Chapter 387 Hiring at a High Price
"Oh, that's an ancient relic in our elf homeland. It's normal that you haven't heard of it," Anastasia explained, saying that Ron knew only a little. "It's a jungle that few people have ever been to. I can't remember when a large meteorite hit the place and caused quite a commotion."

"The empire, which had not yet been usurped by the Ryan family, immediately sent people to investigate, and found a large number of fungal organisms and strange molds, which we call 'red mold'."

"It took the Empire a long time to suppress those extremely aggressive species and set up a blockade, but this could not stop those curious explorers. Since the discovery of the Chibella Ruins, a large number of scholars and adventurers have gone deep into the dangerous area. A small number of them brought out a lot of valuable information, but most of them died in there. Fortunately, the team I hired was the former."

"By the way, didn't I tell you what Fusarium is? Let me explain it to you..."

"No need, we know about these things," Ron quickly interrupted her. "In fact, we have come across this kind of fungus before. They are indeed quite dangerous. What's not good is that we may have an area similar to the 'Red Mold Ruins' over there."

"Didn't you just say you were short of money? Can you——"

"You mean, there is also red mold in the Delusion Land?!" After hearing what Ron said, Anastasia's expression immediately became subtle, "I don't want to touch that stuff again. If I get involved, it's no joke!"

"Don't worry about that!" Driver drank the beer in the wooden cup. The goblins were not used to the bland royal beer and would rather drink it as water. "We already know how to deal with those things. They are not difficult to deal with!"

Anastasia looked at Ron in disbelief, and the latter gave her a reassuring look.

"Well... okay, how long will this mission take, and how much money can you give me?"

"Money is not a problem. You and Ms. Liya are old acquaintances, so I won't lower your price. Besides, we also need a guide who is familiar with the actions of Fusarium, Spore Man, and Echinoceratops. Currently, our knowledge is limited to a small amount of Fusarium and laboratory experiments. There may be other problems with wild Fusarium."

"As for the time, Rose City is not that close to the Delusion Land, and the ruins are also a little far from our current territory, so it should take several months."

"For me personally, this time is not that long, but as a mercenary..." Anastasia hesitated, "To put it bluntly, it's still a matter of money - let's put it this way, you give me this amount, and I'll do it!"

The elf stretched out five fingers and waved them in front of Ron's face. "To be honest, this is the first time I've offered such a high price, but Delusion is notorious, so I have to have some guarantees."

"You can give half as a deposit first, and the other half after the task is completed."

"This?" Ron looked at Anastasia's outstretched fingers, then looked at his own hands. "Isn't this a bit too expensive?"

"I assure you, Ron, this is definitely worth the money!" Leah quickly supported her old comrade, "As a great swordsman, Anna has made great achievements in the war against the Hailan Empire. She can definitely complete this mission beautifully!"

"I know that Ivy and Miss Victoria will usually protect your safety in battle, but if you do this, won't your offensive power be greatly weakened? You can't just defend yourself when fighting against Chibiraki!"

Ron spread his hands and said, "That's true, but I'll tell you the truth. Even if we're willing, we don't have that much money to invite you now!" "Although we are a transit point for trade now, and we can produce minerals, wood, herbs and even alchemical potions, we have only been in Delusion Land for less than a year. Five thousand gold coins is really a huge sum of money for us."

Hearing Ron complaining to her, Anastasia knew that the matter would probably end in vain: "Yeah, it's not easy for you guys either. It's true that my offer was too high - wait a minute!"

The elf opened his eyes wide and looked at Ron in amazement: "You, you, you, say it again, how much did you say?!"

"Isn't it five thousand gold coins?" Ron held up five fingers, imitating Anastasia's words. "That's the price you quoted."

The mineral trade with the devil brought considerable profits to the Delusion Land, but the expenses for infrastructure construction were also not a small amount. It was too expensive to hire a mercenary for a short-term cooperation with 5,000 gold coins.

"Ron, I think Anastasia is talking about 500 gold coins," Daniel sighed, "Not everyone is a lord. The gold coins are in the thousands. Even Mr. Hendricks would probably need several days to calculate them."

"five hundred?"

Ron looked at Anastasia with some uncertainty, and the latter just nodded stiffly - she had not yet recovered from the generosity of the other party asking for five thousand gold coins.

"Sir Ron, can I ask where you are from?"

Anastasia reached out and loosened the collar around her neck, her voice dry: "Maybe I have dealt with your family before..."

She had heard a lot about the Delusion Land, but it seemed that a lot of it was just hearsay! How could a refugee ask for 5,000 gold coins when hiring a mercenary? Even those small nobles didn't dare to ask for that!
Before today, Anastasia might have thought that Ron was just an ordinary human who didn't even deserve a surname, but after today, she would only think that this person came from a large family that kept their identities secret! The reason couldn't be more obvious!

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you that." Ron thought it was okay to let them guess blindly, but it would be time-consuming and laborious to explain. "If your offer is five hundred, then I think we should be able to cooperate very happily."

"That's hard to say..." Anastasia rolled her eyes. No matter how old the elf was, at least she still looked very young and beautiful. "I kind of regret asking for less. If the mission was difficult, I might have raised the price."

"Don't listen to what he says," Leah raised her glass and toasted to Ron and her old comrade. "Even if she changed her career to become a mercenary, her professional ethics are completely trustworthy. You can rest assured to cooperate with her."

"As for you, Anna, don't underestimate them. Ron and his team are the ones who conquered the Delusion Land and established themselves there. Don't hide behind them the whole time. It would be a joke if you were outdone by them," Leah half-jokingly nudged her friend with her elbow. She was extremely satisfied with Ron's tincture and had to consider the young man's situation. "If I hear about this, I'll get your commission back on behalf of Ron and my daughter!"

(End of this chapter)