Chapter 22 Iron Heart City
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Amon decided to change his itinerary on a whim. He said to the coachman:
"We'll rest in Ironheart City for a few days. I have some business to take care of. For the days we stay, I'll give you one silver soul coin every two days as extra compensation."
"Yes, Soul Master."
The coachman happily agreed. Just waiting in a city outside the itinerary for a while, he could get one silver coin every two days. It was easy and not dangerous. He wished he could stay for ten days or half a month.
"Yay, the road was boring enough already. Let's play in the city for a few days!" Yan Jin agreed with both hands.
The coachman turned the direction of travel, and the carriage slowly drove towards Ironheart City.
Ironheart City is close to the Ironheart Mountains and is a medium-sized city, much more prosperous than Frostleaf City.
A long queue formed at the city gate, all farmers or merchants wanting to enter the city.
Lei Yin had the coachman drive the carriage through the convenient passage on the other side.
The guard stopped them: "Show me your proof."
Lei Yin showed them his Soul Master badge.
"Soul Grandmaster?" The guard looked at Lei Yin suspiciously.
It was rare to see such a young Soul Grandmaster, and coupled with the carriage not being luxurious, he subconsciously didn't believe it.
Soul Masters could use the express passage, and the goods they carried were also tax-free up to a certain amount.
In addition, as a generally default rule in private, the guards at the city gate would not search the Soul Master's carriage for prohibited items. This made some people take risks and impersonate Soul Masters.
He respectfully but firmly asked: "Sir, may I ask you to show your martial spirit? Recently, there have been many merchants impersonating Soul Masters to smuggle goods."
Lei Yin nodded, and soul power surged. Accompanied by bursts of thunder, silver-white lightning appeared in his palm, emitting dazzling light. Two yellow soul rings floated quietly.
The guard quickly returned the badge to Lei Yin and made way: "Sir, please enter."
The carriage slowly drove into the city.
An older guard patted the shoulder of the guard who had just carefully inspected them, and said:
"Kid, don't be so impulsive next time. Fortunately, this sir is reasonable. Not all Soul Masters are so easy to talk to."
"We are just ordinary guards, earning this little salary. There's no need to go against the Soul Masters."
"Even if we catch imposters, what good will it do us? The rewards that should be given have never been issued."
"On the contrary, once you offend a Soul Master with a small mind, you'll be in big trouble."
But isn't this our job… the young guard muttered in his heart, without refuting.
Yan Jin ran towards the tavern like a wild horse, she was almost sick of eating dry food for several days in a row.
If it were in the past when she was struggling to survive in West Street of Frostleaf City, she wouldn't mind. But it's hard to go from extravagance to frugality. After five years of good life, she had almost forgotten the feeling of being satisfied with eating a piece of cake.
"Mr. Amon…" Lei Yin looked at Amon.
"You go too, I won't need you for now." Amon nodded slightly to him.
"Call us if you need anything, we'll be there whenever you call." After saying that, Lei Yin ran after Yan Jin, worried that his sister would cause trouble again.
This was not Frostleaf City, where fighting was a common occurrence.
Amon found a loafer on the street and played with a silver soul coin in his hand.
"I need a guide to tell me where the mercenaries of Ironheart City often gather. Also, introduce me to some of the more famous mercenaries."
The loafer looked at the silver soul coin and then at Amon, judging from his clothes and temperament that he was not someone to be trifled with.
He put away the extra thoughts in his heart and the greed he shouldn't have, and said in a flattering tone: "Sir, please come with me. For the weight of the silver soul coin, I will serve you with the most dedicated attitude, I swear."
The loafer led the way while introducing:
"There are two relatively well-known mercenary groups in the city. One is the Ironheart Mercenary Group, which is the largest mercenary group, with more than a dozen Soul Masters. Including other ordinary people, the total number exceeds fifty."
"The other is the Jackal Mercenary Group, which is a relatively loose mercenary group composed of a dozen Soul Masters."
"There is no subordinate relationship between its mYan Jins, and they rarely dispatch all mYan Jins for a certain task. Generally, they accept and complete commissions with Soul Master teams of three or four people."
"In addition, there are several more powerful loners, all Soul Elders above level 30."
Amon followed him to a tavern. After throwing the silver soul coin to the loafer, he pushed open the louvered door and walked in.
"Sir is generous. I'll be waiting at the door. Feel free to order me around if you need anything. I'll be at your service all day today."
Inside the tavern, there was no noise and clamor as imagined. It was even considered quiet. People sat at different tables in small groups drinking wine. They kept their voices very low.
Amon came to the bar and put a silver soul coin on it, "Give me a glass of barley wine. Also, can you tell me how to post a commission to a mercenary group?"
The bartender put the wine and change on the bar and said softly:
"Go to the second floor. There is a task board. One silver coin can leave information on it, write your task content and contact information. If a mercenary is interested, they will contact you."
"On another board, there is contact information for the major mercenary groups in the city. You can also take the initiative to contact a certain mercenary group."
Amon pushed the change back and continued to ask:
"If I want to hunt a specific type and age of soul beast, what should I do?"
"A specific soul beast? Are you going to hunt for a soul ring? That will cost a lot." The bartender took the money, thought for a moment, and replied:
"You can first post a reward for the whereabouts of that kind of soul beast on the task board. Then contact a certain mercenary group and agree to accompany you to hunt it down when there is news."
"You can also entrust the entire task to a certain mercenary group, including finding news and helping to hunt it down."
"The former will cost relatively less, but you need to confirm the authenticity of the news yourself. If the news is wrong and you make a trip in vain, the mercenary group will still charge a fee."
"The second method will be much more expensive, but it is stable."
Amon pinched his monocle and chuckled, "Can I choose to use both methods?"
The bartender was silent for a moment, "If you have money to spare, of course you can."
"But it's best not to trust mercenaries too much. You know, these people are mixed, and sometimes, they are the biggest source of danger to the employer."
"Also, a friendly reminder, it's best not to make your voice or footsteps too loud. There is a Soul Master upstairs who doesn't have a good temper, but likes quiet. He hates being disturbed."
"Thank you for your reminder." Amon nodded and walked up the stairs to the second floor from the east.
On the north side of the second floor, by the window, there was a young man who looked to be in his twenties.
He had golden hair, wore gorgeous but not complicated hunting clothes, and a golden iris flower was dotted on his chest. The black clothes were smooth and shiny, and it was obvious that they were valuable.
The young man held a glass of red wine, taking small sips, elegant like a classical nobleman.
He sipped red wine while admiring the scenery outside the window. From this angle, the distant mountains looked like a crouching dragon, the clouds rolled and stretched in the sky, the buildings in the city were lined up, and a sun hung high in the sky, emitting infinite light.