CH 161

"Cough."

Rode coughed. Although it was a very happy thing for a girl to take the initiative to invite him, he didn't come out for three days just to pick up girls.

Although she claimed to have a lot of water and was easy to soak.

"Ado, actually I'm short of money..."

Ado blinked her big eyes and asked softly, "Soren, how can a skilled hunter like you be short of money?"

Rode's mind flashed and he immediately thought of an answer, "Actually, I bought a mansion in the Upper City District and owe a lot..."

"Wow!"

Ado exclaimed.

"A house in the Upper City District! Soren, you actually bought a house in the Upper City District!"

She covered her mouth in a panic and glanced around, as if afraid that this news would leak out.

But the Hunter's Tavern was empty, with no one around.

She leaned closer to Rode, her big eyes shining with a strange light, and asked in a low voice, "Soren, where is your mansion?"

"Well... on Queen Street..."

Ado's face quickly turned red, and she unconsciously twisted her small hands. Every breath she exhaled carried a burning sensation, making Rode's cheek on one side heat up.

"Soren, the house must be very expensive, right?"

"Yes."

"Brother Soren must owe Mahala, the giant merchant, a lot of money, right?"

"Uh... yes, I owe a lot, and the monthly repayment pressure is very high."

Ado suddenly became serious, she straightened up and quickly pulled out a thick task briefing from under the counter.

"Soren, you're right. Making money is important. Brother, you should do tasks first. You can always see the lilies that spray water later. There will be plenty of time in the future. If you're willing, I can also move the flowers to your house."

She lowered her head and quickly flipped through the task briefing, but her blushing ears exposed her thoughts.

So there is also great housing pressure in the royal city?

Rode touched his nose, feeling a bit complicated.

We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google.

Is that Mahala the real estate developer of the royal city?

No, it seems a bit different. I can't rely on my own experience.

However, this is a good excuse. The higher the salary of the task, the greater the danger. The chances of encountering powerful monsters are higher.

Rode smiled.

Then I'll trouble you, little sister Ado.

I'll have time to appreciate your flowers.

It has to be said that having a good friend who is the head of a hunter branch makes many things easier.

The Hunter's Headquarters sends many tasks every day, from various defense zones, major legions, the General Military War Department, and some private commissions.

If it weren't for familiar people, it would be impossible to find a suitable one from so many tasks.

The Hunter's Guild itself also has many rules to regulate the behavior of hunters.

Therefore, if Rode wants to hunt more efficiently and kill stronger monsters, Ado is a very important assistant.

If necessary, sacrificing some charm is also possible.

"Oh, by the way."

Ado suddenly said.

"Soren, your hunter rank has reached level three, so you can choose a new title."

Rode was surprised, "Is that so?"

While flipping through the tasks, Ado lowered her voice and said, "This means that your hunter's license is being upgraded. We have a record of the purchased licenses."

She placed a thick book in front of Rode.

"Find a suitable one from here."

Rode opened the book, and it was full of various hunter titles, but most of them were marked in red.

The remaining names were all strange, like "Decaying Wood," "Crossdresser," "Pants," "Steel Plate," and other weird names.

After searching for a while, there was only one that barely caught his eye.

"Then let's go with this one."

"Great Decay? This name is so strange, no one has ever chosen it before."

Ado's finger quickly moved on the crystal panel embedded in the counter. After a while, Rode suddenly felt a heat around his waist and took it out to look.

On his silver hunter's license, the four words "Blade of Dawn" gradually melted and turned into "Great Decay."

Pretty cool, this hunter's license is really extraordinary.

After another half a moment, Ado suddenly exclaimed, "Found it, this commission should be suitable."

She handed over a red-sealed task briefing.

"This is a commission from the Stonemason Workshop. They have been attacked by unknown evil spirits and need an experienced hunter with strong tracking and investigation abilities. The task reward is ten thousand silver coins. Soren, you have high spiritual vision, keen observation, strong pushing and logical abilities. You are an excellent scout and tracker, perfect for this task."

Rode quickly read through the task briefing.

This Stonemason Workshop is located at the foot of the eastern Grey Ash Mountain Range. Its main task is to produce and process spirit-energized stones for building city defenses or sturdy fortifications.

It is a small human outpost with less than ten thousand people, located in the innermost part of the Red Soil Plain. It is generally considered safe, but three days ago, an eerie evil spirit appeared out of nowhere and has already killed twelve stonemasons in succession.

The guards of the Stonemason Workshop were helpless, and two hunting teams from the Sixth Defense Zone were unsuccessful.

Under the recommendation of the General Military War Department, they had no choice but to submit a commission to the Hunter's Guild.

This task is indeed suitable.

The most crucial point is the level of threat of the task, which is indicated by the color of the seal. The darker the color, the greater the threat.

And the red seal represents a "severe" level of threat.

In the context of the royal city, this degree is not small.

However, this also poses a problem. Rode's rank is not enough.

Ado said softly, "Iron Wolf and the others haven't recovered yet. We must find new teammates. Any dark-colored task must be completed by a hunter team of two or more."

"I understand. Can you help me find teammates, Ado?"Rode didn't know anyone here, so he could only rely on Ado.

Ado said apologetically, "Brother Soren, during the Black Tide, many hunters were forcibly conscripted, so there aren't many people in the tavern. There's only one hunter suitable for this task."

Rode casually replied, "That's fine, let's go with him."

Although having more teammates would save effort, it would also significantly increase the difficulty of killing. If he didn't kill the monster himself, the chance of obtaining a complete soul would be small.

Two or three people carrying out a mission was the best choice.

Ado whispered, "Her name is Mephisto, a seven-star hunter, known as the Death Knell."

Rode felt a bit regretful. Why didn't he have such a cool title?

However, Ado didn't seem to think the title was cool. Her voice became low and melancholic.

"Brother Soren, hunters who have traveled with her have a high probability of casualties. Many hunters regard her as a disaster and misfortune. Some even slander her as a doomsday cultist, accusing her of harming her comrades. But Sister Mephisto is actually a very good person. She just often undertakes very dangerous tasks, so the casualty rate is naturally high."

Ado looked at Rode, her expression serious.

"If you mind, I can try to find someone from another branch, but it might take a long time."

Rode laughed, "Don't bother, let's go with her. I am a firm...uh, Flamebearer warrior. I don't believe in such things. We, who are protected by fire, are never afraid of bad luck. Besides, how could Ado's good friend be a doomsday cultist?"

Ado's joy +62

Humanity +6

"Brother Soren is indeed a good person."

Ado's smile was radiant. She leaned over the counter, kissed Rode's cheek, and then personally made him a "Blue Nebula" after releasing the spirit raven messenger.

This blue, cloud-like fruit wine represented freedom, hope, rationality, and healing. It was Ado's blessing to the hunters about to set off.

The fruit wine was not strong, it was dense and sweet, with an endless aftertaste.

After finishing the drink, the person arrived.

"Sister Mephisto!"

Ado waved enthusiastically at the figure behind her, unable to stop smiling.

Rode turned around and saw a tall hunter walking towards them.

She was dressed in standard hunter attire, with standard hunter boots, a wide-brimmed hat, and a thick scarf hiding her face in the shadows. But her light silver eyes were even more striking, cold as frost.

A long sword hung on one side of her waist, and a short gun on the other.

Rode frowned slightly. She didn't seem very strong.

Never mind, it was just a matter of casting a "Spirit Quintet". Evil spirits were generally not strong. As long as she could help him hold them off, it would be fine.

"This is Brother Soren I mentioned." Ado introduced enthusiastically, "Although his star level is not high, he is very strong. He has high spiritual vision and is good at observation, tracking, and reasoning. He is definitely a good partner and can definitely help you complete this task."

The seemingly aloof female hunter said softly, "Thank you, Ado."

Her voice was cold, carrying a sense of rejection.

She turned to Rode and said, "Hello, I am Death Knell Mephisto. I hope you know that many hunters who have cooperated with me have died, suffered incurable disabilities, or irreversible infections."

"God's Descent"

Rode laughed, "Don't worry, I'm tough. You can't kill me."

Mephisto glanced at him, her light silver eyes seemed to penetrate his soul.

"I hope so. If you're ready, let's go."

Rode nodded.

"Time waits for no one, let's go."

"See you later, Ado."

He walked out of the hunter's tavern side by side with the tall Mephisto.

Ado shouted from behind, "Brother Soren, Sister Mephisto, may the fire accompany you all the way, always illuminating you!"

This time they didn't use a rickshaw, the two walked out of the city.

Rode's current speed far exceeded the past. With a light tap of his toes, he leaped dozens of steps. The rise and fall of his spiritual power was as smooth as breathing.

Mephisto's speed was similar to his, but she was always half a step behind.

"Haha, I've indeed become stronger."

Rode was a bit pleased, but also a bit anxious.

"I need to quickly max out 'Justice Execution', deal with the 'Spirit Boat', and then find a way to ignite new stars."

"Um... I also need to accumulate more trump cards to let the invaders know that having more people is the hard truth. 'Wooden Puppet' and 'Soul Ash' are really useful."

"I can get the Puppet Wood from the medicine woman, but there aren't many living spirits left. I need to find a way to kill a group of doomsday cultists, but they are hiding very deep now, hard to find."

"Sunstone is the most troublesome. How can I get some more?"

Along the way, Rode silently pondered his future, considering various ways to deal with the invasion.

In the darkness, both of them were very silent, not talking much.

Two faint lights illuminated each other, neither close nor far, like two parallel lines that never intersect.

Several hours later, they arrived at the foot of the Eastern Dead End Mountain Range, in front of the gate of the Lesk Stoneworks.

------Author's Note------

I'm cracking up... These past few days have been really stressful, I'm very sorry. I will try to get back to normal as soon as possible... Also, the update tonight will be very late.