My inventory is full of monster materials.

Chapter 135 The Battle for Captainship

Zhuobo Manor.

After the manor was forcibly requisitioned, it underwent several rounds of reconstruction and expansion, with an additional open space created as a training ground. High stone walls were erected around it, and various training equipment was piled up in the corners.

As Mark, Madeline, Gray, and Killian entered the training field, they saw two people standing in the middle of the field talking in hushed tones.

One was clad in silver chainmail, a jeweled rapier at his waist, his handsome face carrying a hint of frivolity. He was Eris Glover, the playboy swordsman, and Nolan Brooke, the hammer-wielding warrior. The other was a burly man, clad in Inquisition-style heavy armor, a massive hammer half his height at his side, his muscles bulging, exuding an aura of fierce courage.

In a corner of the training ground, a female knight stood out.

She wore simple, gilded light armor, knelt on one knee, clasped her hands in front of her chest, and prayed fervently in a low voice. Her long, golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall, bathed in the soft glow of the sunlight.

When Mark saw the female knight, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Wasn't she Emily's good sister Theresa?

At this moment, the flower swordsman noticed the visitors. His gaze swept over Madeline, Gray, and Killian, finally landing on Mark, lingering particularly on his azure blue mage robe for a few seconds.

He then stepped forward, seemingly making casual jokes, but his words carried a sharp edge, directly pointing to Mark's identity.

"Miss Madeline, your Adventurers' Guild has sent a lot of people this time."

Everyone present understood what the other party meant; it was nothing more than a veiled criticism that the association and the guild were mixed up.

But Madeline didn't deny it; instead, a smug smile appeared on her lips as she spoke eloquently.

"Eris, are you only just realizing that Mage Mark is a registered adventurer with the guild?"

As she spoke, Madeline affectionately put her arm around Mark's.

Eris was very displeased by this, and her gaze towards Mark was filled with resentment and a hint of jealousy.

Mark was a little embarrassed.

"Beauty is a curse," as the saying goes; there seems to be a story behind this.

Just then, a shadow flashed across the sky, and everyone subconsciously looked up, only to hear a sharp, piercing sound cut through the air.

"Hey——!"

Immediately afterwards, a massive creature hovered and landed on the ground; it was a creature with a shoulder height of 1.5 meters and a wingspan of up to 3 meters.

A griffin of meters.

Griffins have the physical structure of an eagle's head and a lion's body, possessing the strength of a first-tier demon. They are commonly found on cliffs and are fearsome high-altitude predators.

The lion before us was exceptionally exquisite, clad in custom-made golden armor that firmly protected its head.

Claws and wings, armor inlaid with tiny gems.

It gleamed in the sunlight, clearly worth a fortune, exuding an air of ostentatious luxury.

At that moment, a tall figure flipped off the griffin's back and landed steadily.

She was a girl around twenty years old, with long hair tied up high, delicate eyebrows and eyes, wearing leather hunting armor embroidered with silver thread, carrying a magnificent rosewood bow on her back, and exuding an air of nobility from a life of luxury in every gesture.

When Eris saw the young girl, he immediately walked up to her, bowed gracefully, and gave her a standard hand kiss, his voice flattering and full of praise.

"Miss Adele, congratulations on becoming the first female 'Horse Archer' in the history of Sergei. Your talent is worthy of your beauty."

Adele was secretly overjoyed, but she pretended to be indifferent, withdrew her hand, and gave him a cold glance.

"Eris, you smooth talker, I'm tired of hearing your words."

After saying that, Adele walked straight to the side, her gaze sweeping over everyone present.

When her beautiful eyes fell on Mark, her brows furrowed slightly, and she pointed at him without any politeness, speaking in a very arrogant manner.

"Hey! Who are you? How come you're so tall?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look.

Actually, everyone had been curious about Mark's more than 2 meters tall head for a long time, but out of politeness, no one took the initiative to ask. However, when Adele pointed it out so bluntly, the scene became a little awkward.

Mark disliked being pointed at and talked about in public, so he didn't argue, but just smiled and remained silent.

Adele was displeased when she saw that the other party ignored her. She snorted heavily and turned her head away, refusing to look at him again.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Madeline took the initiative to speak at the right time. Her clear and strong voice instantly attracted everyone's attention.

"As you all probably already know, this is an important covert operation, codenamed Anchor Point."

Then, Madeline stepped forward, her gaze sweeping across the room, and introduced herself.

"I am Madeline Gwennaville, the steward of the Adventurers' Guild, and also the supervisor and tactical advisor for this operation, mainly responsible for the overall planning and coordination of this operation."

"I hope that in the following operations, you will follow my instructions and cooperate fully."

However, no sooner had Madeline finished speaking than the fencing master Eris interrupted her, his voice filled with obvious skepticism.

"Wait a moment."

Eris gracefully walked to the center of the arena, facing the gazes of the crowd with a calm and composed expression, showing no sign of panic.

"My grandfather did emphasize that this operation is of utmost importance, but I have not heard of following the arrangements of your Adventurers' Guild."

Madeline narrowed her eyes, her voice turning colder.

"So, what you mean is?"

Eris spread his arms, surveyed the entire arena, and said with a confident and arrogant air.

"I am Eris Glover, Baron Glover's nephew. In terms of status, no one here can compare to me, so I should be the leader of this task force, and everyone must follow my orders."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people present varied. Some seemed thoughtful, some looked disdainful, but most remained silent and observed the situation.

Madeline sighed softly, her expression seemingly resigned, but in reality, she had already anticipated this situation, and calmly said.

"In this operation, I was only responsible for behind-the-scenes coordination and tactical guidance. The situation on the actual battlefield was complex, and a front-line captain was indeed needed."

"Since Mr. Eris is interested in running, who else wants to run for this position?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the greatswordsman Killian, who was behind Madeline, strode forward, his helmet emitting a powerful, resounding sound.

"I!"

Eris raised an eyebrow, a hint of disdain in his eyes.

"What makes you think you can take my captain's position?"

"Because I'm the captain of the Silver-ranked adventure team Iron Edge, because I know more about combat than you, and I'm better able to lead everyone to complete missions."

Killian's answer was simple and direct. He slammed his greatsword into the ground with a loud thud, creating a deep crater and sending debris flying. His momentum was overwhelming.

Upon hearing this, everyone present, including Mark and Gray, as well as Adele and the Hammer Man, nodded in agreement.

Everyone knew that this operation was not a sightseeing trip, but rather an attempt to open up the underground river and penetrate deep into the encirclement of the abyssal monsters.

Although Eris appears to be a formidable swordsman with an impressive presence, in terms of combat experience and resilience, Killian, who has spent years adventuring abroad, is clearly more reliable.

Eris's expression grew increasingly grim. He looked at Killian, then glanced at Madeline and the other two behind him, before suddenly speaking up to sow discord.

"Don't forget, the culprit Eugene comes from your Adventurers' Guild!"

"This time your guild is redeeming itself through meritorious service. Who knows if you might secretly sabotage us or set up traps?"

Watch your words!

Madeline shouted sharply, with absolute confidence.

"Our guild paid the highest price in this operation, sending out our most elite combat force and investigation team."

"If you insist on doubting us, then we can simply withdraw from the operation; there's no need for us to endure your suspicions here!"

Madeline's words were uncompromising, as if she were about to give up. The already tense atmosphere suddenly became even more rigid, and the two sides were on the verge of conflict.

Mark stood aside, somewhat puzzled.

It's easy to understand why Madeline wants to compete for the captaincy.

After all, the guild has contributed the most, so naturally they don't want to be controlled by others, and they don't want to pay the price for nothing.

But why is Eris, a baron's nephew, so obsessed with taking the captain's position? Is it really just for the sake of saving face?

So Mark quietly leaned close to Madeline's ear, lowered his voice, and asked softly.

"Why is that baron's nephew so obsessed with taking the captain's position?"

Madeline snorted coldly, her expression full of disdain.

"It's not that simple; it's just what it sounds like on the surface."

"what?"

Mark was still puzzled and pressed for an answer.

"What exactly do you mean? Explain it clearly."

Madeline rolled her eyes at Mark and explained in a low voice with a helpless expression.

"Baron Glover had only one son, Edmund Glover, who is now trapped in the Tabora Mountains."

"If something happens to this eldest son and there is no heir, then the question of who will inherit the baron title will be answered."

Mark suddenly realized, a look of understanding flashing in his eyes.

So that's what Eris was planning! He didn't seize the captain's position to lead everyone to complete the mission; he just wanted to buy time so that if Edmund got into trouble, he would have a chance to compete for the position of baron heir!

But Mark still didn't understand.

"Wasn't he an agent sent by Earthquake Fortress? Logically, he should be fully supporting the rescue of Edmund, so why would he resort to such underhanded tactics?"

Madeline's eyes instantly turned sinister.

"Who knows? You can't judge a book by its cover. Anyway, our goal is clear: we don't want anything to happen to the baron's heir."

"As for the attitude of the United Chamber of Commerce or the Parliament, we don't care."

"In short, we must eliminate all unnecessary risks."

Mark nodded silently and said nothing more.

As time dragged on, the heavy hammer warrior suddenly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Everyone is here to complete the mission. If you can't agree on who should be the team leader, then I, Nolan, can take the position."

"??"

Eris was bewildered by this inexplicable backstab, but Nolan had already taken a step forward and patted his breastplate, making a "clap clap" sound.

"I swear to the Goddess of Justice that I will treat every member fairly, without any favoritism, and do my best to complete the mission."

After saying that, Nolan gave Eris a look.

The latter lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then his expression calmed down, clearly indicating that he had acquiesced to the suggestion.

In fact, before even arriving at the training ground, Eris had already held preliminary talks with Nolan and reached some cooperation agreements.

Moreover, it does seem quite reasonable for a professional who believes in the 'Order' path to be the team leader.

However, Madeline showed no mercy, pulling a stack of scrap paper from her folder and slamming it in front of Nolan, her tone icy.

"Fair? Don't think we don't know that your Speaker George's family, although they have severed ties with Eugene for many years, still have dirty dealings with him!"

"These are the evidence!"

"!!!"

Everyone present was taken aback. Eris and Nolan quickly bent down, picked up the scraps of paper from the ground, and examined them carefully.

Upon seeing the contents recorded on the paper, the two men's expressions changed drastically; they were both startled.

The document details the shady dealings between Zeffer, a core member of the O'Connor family, and Eugene, with the most recent instance dating back three or four months.

Although the authenticity of these materials cannot be confirmed at the moment, once this content is leaked, it will inevitably cause a huge uproar.

The troubles facing the council hall may be even more severe than those currently encountered by the Adventurers' Guild.

Nolan's face turned ashen instantly, the paper in his hand trembled slightly, and he tried to explain in a flustered but calm voice.

"Who can prove these things are true? Besides, this is the Speaker's family matter and has nothing to do with the parliament!"

However, Eris and Adele had already quietly taken a few steps back, distancing themselves from Nolan, their eyes filled with a sense of estrangement and wariness.

They didn't want to get involved in such a big problem, so they quickly distanced themselves from it.

Madeline's move was a decisive blow, not only crushing the fledgling Nolan, but also leaving Eris...

Suspicion arose between Adele and Nolan.

Following that, Madeline pressed her advantage and made a suggestion.

"Since everyone has their own ideas, how about this: the candidates for captain will have a match, and whoever wins will become captain."

As soon as he finished speaking, the oppressive aura around Killian increased sharply. He gripped his greatsword tightly, ready to fight at any moment.

Eris placed his hand on the hilt of the sword, tightened it, and then loosened it.

Based on the obvious difference in strength, he might not be able to defeat the greatswordsman in front of him.

But Eris didn't want to give up easily. After gritting her teeth and pondering for a moment, she pointed at Madeline and shouted.

"What a captain needs is not force but respect from the people. The captain should be chosen by a vote of the members who participate in the operation."

"Also, you're not a combatant, you have no right to vote, and your votes cannot be counted!"

"Okay, I'll compromise and not participate in the vote."

Madeline readily agreed.

Immediately afterwards, Gray and Mark both stepped forward and stood firmly behind Killian.

"I choose Killian!" *2

Killian instantly gained two votes in support.

With Gray and Mark as their two staunch supporters, the Adventurers' Guild is practically invincible. At worst, the votes will be tied and the battle will continue.

That's why Madeline agreed so readily.

Eris's face darkened, and he quickly walked over to Adele, leaned close to her ear, and whispered a lot of things.

Adele frowned, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded.

"I choose Eris."

Then, Eris looked at Nolan, who looked dejected, with a hint of coercion and enticement in her eyes.

Nolan gritted his teeth, weighed the pros and cons, and ultimately voted for Eris.

At this moment, Killian and Eris each received two votes, resulting in a tie. The atmosphere in the training ground instantly became tense, seemingly brewing for the next round of wrangling.

But just then, everyone suddenly noticed that Teresa, the blonde female knight who had been standing silently in the corner, was slowly walking over.

Then everyone suddenly remembered that there was such a mysterious paladin in their group.

Even more crucially, her vote will directly determine who gets the captain's position.

A glimmer of hope flashed in Eris's eyes, and she quickly stepped forward, her tone carrying a hint of flattery and ingratiation.

"Miss Theresa, if you vote for me, I will repay you handsomely on behalf of the Glover family by donating a large amount of supplies to the Church of Dawn..."

However, before Eris could finish speaking, Theresa strode past him and stood in front of Mark, speaking indifferently.

"I've chosen him as captain."

一」