Chapter 232 - 156: Cave, Rolling Stone
Chapter 232: Chapter 156: Cave, Rolling Stone
"Here so early today?"
Just as Lin Mo backed away from the crowd, he saw Landon and the other members of the Cyan Orchid Squad walking through the Association’s main entrance.
"Came early to check out the situation."
As they were speaking, Feney followed close behind, also entering the Association. She was still dressed in a simple Nun’s habit.
Even so, the face beneath the wide-brimmed hood was still adorable.
Landon glanced at the dense crowd. "Looks like Huck was right. A new mission was definitely posted."
Lin Mo relayed the general information from the Call-up Order to them. Landon nodded after hearing it. "Hm, in that case, the rewards really are quite generous."
A single piece of Excellent Level equipment was worth at least three or four hundred Gold Coins.
"So, are we taking it?"
Benny asked.
"Of course we’re taking it!"
Landon nodded. Although he already owned a Secret Silver Staff worth nearly two thousand Gold Coins, he had saved up for many years as an Adventurer just to buy it.
He had no other Excellent Level equipment. Even the Light Armor he wore was only Excellent-grade.
He desperately wanted a piece of Excellent Level equipment, too.
Besides, the base reward for the mission itself wasn’t bad. For people like Huck and his team, even if they didn’t get the extra reward, the income from the Gold Coins alone was substantial.
And who knows, they might even make a "significant contribution" and snag a piece of Excellent-grade equipment. That would be a fantastic outcome for them.
So, they answered the call without hesitation and accepted the mission.
After registering their squad’s information and completing the sign-up, they waited a short while before seeing Vick, the president of the Silver Stream City Adventurer’s Association, once again.
This time, Vick looked completely different from his usual lazy, carefree self. He even had a sword buckled at his waist, and his expression was much more solemn.
He walked before the crowd of Adventurers participating in the operation and said with great solemnity, "Everyone, first, thank you all for answering the Association’s call and joining this rescue operation. But before we depart, I must remind you that this mission comes with a great deal of uncertainty. We currently know very little about the Cave... or the bunker inside it. Therefore, we may encounter many unforeseeable dangers."
"The Adventurer’s Association never forces Adventurers to undertake any mission. If you’ve had second thoughts, you can still withdraw now."
As his voice fell, several Adventurers immediately stepped out of the queue.
Most of them were people who hadn’t even read the rules clearly and just wanted to tag along and get something for nothing. Now that they heard there was danger, they naturally backed down.
"Anyone else wish to withdraw?"
Vick wasn’t in a hurry. He waited for another half-minute, and sure enough, two or three more people chose to leave.
Vick took a look. Fewer than fifty people remained. After all, the mission was only posted yesterday evening, so the news hadn’t fully spread yet. Plus, with the high requirements, gathering this many people was already quite an achievement.
Though not a large number, they were all skilled Adventurers. The minimum was Professional Level, and there was no shortage of masters at Level 2 or even Level 3.
There were even three Level 4 Adventurers!
One was Landon. Another was a Level 4 Ranger named Lute. And the last one was Torren, the nominal leader of this operation and the son of Silver Stream City’s administrative director.
A lineup like this was strong enough to rival several hundred members of the City Guard.
With them heading to the bunker for the rescue, there shouldn’t be any major problems.
So, Vick went on to explain a few more points to be aware of and also informed the group who the leader of the operation would be.
When they heard the name, many of the onlooking Adventurers in the surrounding crowd showed surprised expressions.
After all, Torren had always been a very active Adventurer, and he was quite famous in Silver Stream City.
Aside from the few Senior Level Adventurers, the most famous ones below that rank were the dozen or so who were closest to reaching it.
Some busybody had weeded out the ones who were weaker or too old with little hope of advancement and created a "Ten Heroes" list.
Torren was on that list—one of Silver Stream City’s Ten Heroes.
Of course, Landon and the other Level 4 Professional on this mission, Lute, were also on the list.
Lute was ranked 9th, two spots below Torren.
Meanwhile, Landon, being a Mage, was ranked first among all Level 4 Professionals and 4th on the overall list.
The three ahead of him were all Level 5 Professionals.
"I didn’t expect ’Iron Sword Torren’ to have a background like that."
"He’s never mentioned it before..."
"Silver Stream City’s administrative director... I remember he’s a First-class Baron, right? One more step and he’ll be a Viscount!"
"The son of a First-class Baron. No wonder he’s so strong."
"I knew it. He looks like a typical rich fop. Turns out he’s just some second-generation heir."
"That explains everything, that explains everything..."
Torren, who had just arrived, overheard these discussions, and his expression turned ugly.
It was as if they were saying all his achievements were thanks to his title as "son of a First-class Baron."
Torren admitted to himself that his current strength did indeed rely heavily on the support his father provided—Skill Scrolls, guidance from famous masters, and so on. ’But does that just negate all of my own hard work?’
’Even with Skill Scrolls in hand, you still need the aptitude to learn them. You still need constant practice and combat to grow.’
’Besides, didn’t I find my own teammates and complete all those missions one by one?’