Chapter 126 : The Deal Proceeded Smoothly, Bona’s Attitude Took a Sharp Turn
Chapter 126: The Deal Proceeded Smoothly, Bona’s Attitude Took a Sharp Turn
As Avril’s commission details were made public.
The hillside fell into a brief silence.
There was only the rustling of the wind through the shrubs, and the heavy breathing of the members of the War Wheel Mercenary Group.
Jefferson’s heart surged like a stormy sea.
He was not some country bumpkin who had never seen money.
In the mercenary line of work, with their heads hanging from their belts, they could occasionally skim some profit.
But someone like Avril—
Casually throwing out a long-term extermination commission and intelligence reconnaissance with no upper limit.
This kind of spending… was far too big!
This was simply not the bearing an ordinary magician could have!
Even some noble heirs did not spend money so recklessly…
Harrison leaned close to Jefferson, his face full of disbelief：“Captain, just what kind of background does this mage lady have？”
“Does her family… have a gold mine？”
Jefferson took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
He looked at Avril, trying to read something from those violet eyes.
“Miss Avril.”
He spoke slowly：“The conditions you offered are indeed tempting.”
“However, forgive me for being blunt. Paying such a huge price, merely to change the current state of Lemon Port？”
“Are you really just a magician from Oak Town, passing through this place？”
At this point.
Jefferson lowered his voice：“Lemon Port turned into a land of death a month ago. It is said that very few people escaped alive.”
“You are so persistent about this, even willing to spend heavily. Could it be that……”
Avril’s heart tightened slightly.
She thought to herself that this mercenary captain was indeed meticulous.
Naturally, she could not reveal Lord Angel’s divine oracle.
But she also could not let the other party grow overly suspicious, lest unnecessary complications arise.
A trace of perfectly measured sorrow and indignation appeared on her face.
“Captain Jefferson is indeed perceptive.”
Avril let out a soft sigh.
Her gaze drifted toward the horrifying port in the distance, covered in gelatinous matter.
Her tone carried a suppressed tremor：“I do indeed have some ties to Lemon Port.”
“An important relative lost contact during that disaster.”
“Alive, I must see the person; dead, I must see the body！”
“I came alone to investigate, but my strength is limited, so I had no choice but to resort to this method.”
“I hope to borrow the strength of more people to find out what exactly happened inside, and perhaps… find a trace of clues.”
These half-true, half-false words.
Coupled with her current expression, were quite convincing.
The doubt in Jefferson’s eyes lessened somewhat.
Replacing it was a trace of understanding.
So it was a story of searching for kin and revenge. That made sense.
In such matters, some people truly became willing to spare no expense.
“So that’s how it is.”
Jefferson nodded, his tone much gentler：“Please accept my condolences.”
“Since Miss Avril is showing such sincerity, this favor, our War Wheel Mercenary Group will take it！ Taking money to get things done is only natural.”
His tone shifted.
A shrewd smile appeared on his face：“However, Miss Avril, you see……”
“The black insects we are killing right now, can we directly receive the payment from you？”
“After all, your requirement is extermination. This also counts as following the principle of proximity, saving us the trouble of running back and forth.”
As he spoke, he shook the bag in his hand filled with insect corpses.
Upon hearing this, Avril hesitated almost not at all and nodded indifferently.
“Of course.”
“I said it already, all are welcome.”
“As long as you provide the corpses of the black insects as proof, calculated by number and tier, I will pay the reward on the spot！”
“Straightforward！” Harrison could not help but grin widely, revealing two rows of yellow teeth.
The other members also showed joyful expressions.
What did this mean？
It meant that this mission would let them collect double pay！
One share for turning in the mission at White Rock Fort, and another share by exchanging the black insects they killed now with Avril！
This was like pies falling from the sky—continuously！
Even Bona, who had always glared coldly at Avril.
At this moment, pressed her lips together and did not utter another word.
She silently put away her dagger and looked at Avril again.
Although it could not yet be called friendly, that hostile urge to pounce and grab money had indeed dissipated by more than half.
She glanced at Avril’s extravagant manner of casually pulling out large sums of gold coins.
She could not help but mutter inwardly：‘Damn it, I give in. Being rich really means you can do whatever you want！’
‘Rather than butting heads with this rich woman, I might as well think about killing a few more bugs to exchange for money. That’s more practical.’
Jefferson also took in his companions’ reactions in full.
He could not help but sigh inwardly at the immense charm of money.
He cupped his fists：“Since that is the case, then we won’t stand on ceremony.”
“Miss Avril, we will continue hunting right away. Once we gather fifty insect corpses, we will immediately return to White Rock Fort to post the commission for you.”
With that said.
Jefferson called for the team to prepare to leave the hillside and search for the next suitable “fishing” location.
“Wait a moment.”
Avril suddenly spoke up to stop them.
Thinking of her earlier impulsive behavior and Lord Angel’s reprimand, she still felt somewhat apologetic.
Since both sides had already reached a cooperation, perhaps the relationship could be eased a little.
“I saw that the battle just now consumed quite a bit of your stamina.”
“For the next black insect hunts, if you do not mind, I can provide some magical assistance from afar, to speed things up a bit.”
“Of course, I will not use Holy Light magic, so as not to… cause unnecessary trouble.”
She was referring to the fact that Holy Light purification would make the insect corpses disappear, affecting their mission submission.
Jefferson was taken aback.
He turned back in surprise to look at Avril.
He did not expect that this female mage, who had previously seemed somewhat arrogant and impulsive.
Would change her attitude so quickly and actually offer help on her own initiative.
This was rather beyond his expectations.
He carefully examined Avril.
Her gaze was clear, carrying a hint of sincerity. It did not seem to be mere courtesy or ulterior motives.
Jefferson pondered for a moment, then ultimately shook his head.
A trace of mercenary stubbornness and pride appeared on his face：“We appreciate Miss Avril’s kindness.”
“But as I said before, mercenaries have mercenaries’ rules.”
“Once a task is accepted, it must be completed by one’s own ability.”
“How could we let the client help us instead？ If word got out, where would the face of our War Wheel Mercenary Group be put？”
“Rest assured, this kind of small scene, we can still handle！”
Avril froze slightly.
Then a flash of appreciation passed through her eyes.
She had originally thought that these bottom-tier mercenaries would gladly accept any help that reduced risk and increased efficiency.
She did not expect that this captain would have such principles.
It seemed that this small team could survive in such a dangerous line of work.
Relying not only on luck and coordination, but also on this rare backbone.
She nodded lightly：“I was not thorough in my consideration. Captain Jefferson, please proceed.”
Jefferson said no more.
Leading his members, he quickly disappeared to the other side of the hills.
Avril, meanwhile, found a higher vantage point with a wide field of view that was relatively concealed.
From afar, she observed the actions of the War Wheel group.
At the same time, she remained vigilant toward movements from the direction of Lemon Port.
Over the next half day.
The War Wheel Mercenary Group carried out two more “fishing” operations.
The process was thrilling but without danger. They skillfully lured out two waves of black insects, a total of twenty, and successfully exterminated them.
Each time they succeeded, they brought the insect corpses over to Avril.
Avril kept her promise, carefully counting the number and tiers of the corpses.
They were basically all first-tier black insects. At ten silver coins per insect, she readily paid out a total of two gold coins.
Watching those gleaming coins fall into Jefferson’s hands.
Every member of the War Wheel group had joy written all over their faces.
Even Bona rarely refrained from sarcasm, merely wiping her dagger in silence, with a bit more focus in her eyes.
That was the look of staring at a “walking money bag”… oh no, staring at a precious employer.