Mercenaries in Two Worlds

Fangfang, pen in hand, noticed Zhang Qian's silence and looked at him with bewildered eyes. Seeing his constipated expression, she seemed to understand something and said, "No relatives, right? Okay, I'll fold it into paper money for you and burn it for you on your death anniversary every year." Whether this somewhat cute girl said it on purpose or not, it made Zhang Qian feel uneasy.

"No...no...no, what I meant was..." Zhang Qian quickly waved his hand, glanced at Wang Yi who was flirting with a young woman next to him, and whispered, "Miss Fangfang, is the mortality rate of mercenaries very high?"

Fangfang put down her pen, pouted, and counted on her fingers: "This month, two, three, four... seven, seven people died."

Zhang Qian wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Seven people died in a month. I'm powerless. Could it be that I'm rushing to push the death rate to eight by the end of the month?"

He chuckled inwardly, then awkwardly patted Wang Yi on the shoulder and said sheepishly, "Brother Wang, do you think I'm not quite suited for that mercenary role?"

Wang Yi waved his hand dismissively, "It's nothing, don't listen to Fangfang's nonsense. Most of the dead were those who hunted wild beasts. We don't do those things, and we haven't been hurt in two years."

Fangfang, feigning maturity, tiptoed and patted Zhang Qian's shoulder, saying in a low voice, "Young man, don't be afraid, go out and explore bravely... Haha, go out and explore bravely! Young man, the cuckoo birds of Featherfall City will protect you, hahaha."

Zhang Qian looked at Fangfang, who was laughing at him, and was speechless. This girl must have gotten the job at the mercenary center through connections, her work attitude was so unserious.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Qian still signed his name. Having arrived in this strange world with no clue what to do, he decided to stick with Wang Yi and the others for now.

Seeing that Zhang Qian had finished registering the information, Wang Yi reluctantly said goodbye to a young woman at the service desk and said, "Alright, right? Come on, let me introduce you to the mercenary center. Fangfang, thanks."

"Goodbye, Brother Wang." The little girl waved from behind the table, which was almost up to her neck.

"See the paper on the pillar? That's the bounty mission posted by the sponsor. If you think you can complete it, just register with the staff at the mercenary center under the pillar."

"Once you've completed it, just go to the service desk on either side of the hall to get it certified. Featherfall City is close to Ghost Night Forest, so there are quite a few bounty missions. Our mercenary group usually just helps with gathering spiritual herbs or special woods, and sometimes we also act as guards. The danger level is not high, so don't worry."

As Wang Yi led Zhang Qian toward the back of the mercenary center, he gave an introduction.

Passing through the mercenary center, you'll find a circular plaza surrounded by buildings, where a huge statue stands.

Facing the statue, there were still twenty or thirty people sitting sparsely, some staring at the statue with their eyes wide open, and others closing their eyes as if they were trying to understand something.

"This is a statue of the Supreme Dao Lord. It is said that the Supreme Dao Lord himself sculpted it before he became an immortal, and it is also the most precious treasure in Yuluo City."

"This Supreme Dao Lord is truly shameless, building his own statue. I have never seen such a brazen person," Zhang Qian muttered, squinting at the nearly twenty-zhang-tall statue.

"What did you say?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just saying this statue is huge." Seeing the reverence in Wang's eyes, Zhang Qian wisely changed his tune.

Wang Yi pulled Zhang Qian to the front of the Supreme Dao Lord and said, "Come, sit down and try to comprehend it. See if you can gain anything. Although it's one in ten thousand, there have been more than a dozen people in the past hundred years who have comprehended sword techniques and movement techniques from the Supreme Dao Lord."

If you come to Yuluo City and don't see the Supreme Dao Lord, you've wasted your trip. Everyone who comes to Yuluo City must come to the Supreme Dao Lord to learn from him. Whether they are cultivators or ordinary people, no one can escape this custom.

The Supreme Dao Lord is the only person in a thousand years to have stormed into the Demon Clan's holy land and personally slain the Demon God's Holy Son, thus securing a century of peace on the human borders. Even if not for this divine feat, it would be excellent to come and admire the face of this great man.

Hearing what Wang Yi said, the people sitting nearby extended their divine senses to sense Zhang Qian's cultivation level. Then, they all curled their lips, glanced disdainfully at Zhang Qian who had no cultivation, and closed their eyes again.

A young man in brocade robes, surrounded by four or five people, deliberately chuckled and said to the people next to him, "What kind of mortal dares to presumptuously claim to have comprehended the Dao of the Supreme Dao Lord? He's just a toad trying to eat swan meat."

The others nearby quickly echoed, "Yes, yes, only Young Master Huang Gou is worthy of this supreme Dao Lord's divine power. Everyone else is trash, only there to highlight Young Master's talent."

"Idiot, I told you not to call me by my full name, just call me Young Master Huang."

"Yes, yes, yes, Young Master Huang Gou."

"It's your mother!" Huang Gou kicked the young servant in blue robes who didn't know how to flatter but still tried to force his way out. The servant was kicked to the ground, his face full of resentment as if he had been abandoned by a heartless lover.

Huang Gou and the others made too much noise, and instantly several powerful divine senses locked onto Huang Gou, scaring him so much that he broke out in a cold sweat and stammered, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I won't do it again..."

Zhang Qian was oblivious to the farce unfolding around him; his mind was completely captivated by the statue. The Supreme Dao Lord's face seemed to display a mixture of anger and sorrow, yet upon closer inspection, it was devoid of any emotion. His Daoist robe billowed in the wind, his right hand holding a sword, his left forming a sword-wielding gesture. His eyes were fixed on the upper front, and a sword seemed to cleave the sky as it slashed forward.

Although it was just a statue, the sword's power seemed to fill the entire sky like a tidal wave, making Zhang Qian, sitting below, feel more insignificant than ever before. Fortunately, the sword's momentum was not downward, but rather upward, as if it wanted to pierce through the heavens.

"Cultivation technique trajectory analysis failed... Cultivation technique trajectory analysis failed... Cultivation technique trajectory analysis failed... Automatically abandoned. Martial skill trajectory analysis successful. Heaven-rank advanced footwork, Sunset Glow, cannot be perfected; Martial skill trajectory analysis failed... Martial skill trajectory analysis failed... Automatically abandoned."

Zhang Qian ignored the text formed by the data clusters in his mind. He looked at the statue with a puzzled expression, as if he had a vague understanding. He frowned and tried hard to think, but it seemed like he had nothing. This vague and lingering feeling made Zhang Qian feel as if he were being crushed by a mountain.

As Zhang Qian continued to observe, he became obsessed, constantly reminding himself that if he couldn't understand, what meaning would his life have? If he couldn't comprehend, he would be like a walking corpse. An increasingly deep obsession was pulling Zhang Qian deeper into the abyss. He didn't know how long he had been sinking when he suddenly saw light at the bottom of the abyss. He seemed to see himself learning the supreme Daoist arts, invincible throughout the world, slaying the demon god with a single sword, and thousands of people kneeling at his feet, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

"Heh, heh, heh." Zhang Qian let out a low, intermittent laugh, as if he had choked on it.

When Wang Yi opened his eyes, he was startled to see Zhang Qian's nightmare-like expression. He quickly grabbed Zhang Qian and shook him, "Wake up, Zhang Qian, wake up!"

Unfortunately, Zhang Qian did not react at all, staring at the statue with glazed eyes and letting out a strange, chuckling laugh, as if he were in a trance.

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