Chapter 123: Home of the Adventurers! (2/2)
Wang Chong smiled. He lifted his head and glanced sideway. Understanding Wang Chong’s gesture, Shen Hai hurried forward and slammed a Green Pine Wine, which was worth several gold taels, on the table.
Shen Hai opened the mud seal and a fragrance reminiscent of pine trees diffused from the wine. It was a light refreshing scent which revitalized one’s spirit, making one feel as though one had teleported from a bustling city into the tranquil mountains.
“This is my gift to you. Due to this shabby location, this is the best alcohol we can get you at the moment!”
Wang Chong smiled.
He said these words with utmost sincerity.
Wang Chong would never be stingy to those who possessed true capability. Even though the Hyderabad contract was only worth ninety thousand gold taels, Wang Chong still gave Ablonodan and Arloja a sum far exceeding a hundred thousand. The Shadow slot for the secret alchemist organization cost a hefty two hundred thousand gold taels, but Wang Chong still paid the fee without much hesitation.
As long as it was something useful to him or someone capable, Wang Chong would be generous.
Six to seven gold taels for a vat of alcohol was expensive, but Wang Chong didn’t think that the person before him was worth just this price.
He thought that offering him such wine was doing him injustice.
Upon seeing the Green Pine Wine on the table, the gray-robed middle-aged man’s eyes suddenly became clear. Even though his face was still cold, he didn’t seem as distant as before.
“I will put it out first, my hiring price isn’t low!”
“Five thousand gold taels?”
“Every month!”
The gray-robed middle-aged man replied.
“I understand.”
Wang Chong smiled.
Five thousand gold taels every month meant an annual salary of sixty thousand gold taels! Even wealthy merchants would be unable to accept such a price.
On top of that, prestigious clans had their own group of martial artists as well. Instead of hiring an outsider, they could invest the money to groom their own people instead.
However, Wang Chong didn’t mind.
Five thousand gold taels a month might be a hefty price for others, but it wasn’t anything much for Wang Chong, Instead of money, what Wang Chong required now was the protection of a true expert!
Behind the table, the gray-robed middle-aged man finally gazed at Wang Chong seriously. In his days at this teahouse, most of the people simply mocked him or kept a distance away from him.
Wang Chong was the only one who came here with the earnest intention to hire him.
“I will say first now, I have conditions for my employment.”
“Speak.”
“Firstly, you have to pay my hiring fee in advance. I don’t accept delayed payments.”
“Fine by me.”
Wang Chong nodded.
“Secondly, I won’t listen to your orders. After employing me, I will only be in charge of your safety. I won’t bother myself with anything else.”
“I’m alright with that.”
Wang Chong nodded again.
“Thirdly, I refuse to be restrained. After my employment, I will go wherever I want and you are not to stop me. As long as I ensure your safety, whether I appear before you or not is my problem.”
“Alright.”
Wang Chong nodded yet again. However, Shen Hai and Meng Long’s face darkened after hearing the other party’s conditions.
“Lastly, if I wish to leave, I can leave anytime I please!”
The gray-robed man spoke of his final condition.
“You must be joking! Can that even be called an employment?”
“Five thousand gold taels for a month, and you expect to be able to appear whenever you please and go wherever you wish? How can there be such good terms in the world?”
Before Wang Chong could reply, Shen Hai and Meng Long couldn’t hold themselves back anymore. This wasn’t hiring a mercenary anymore, this was no different from bringing an old ancestor to wait upon!
To come up with so many ridiculous conditions yet charge such a hefty price, did this fellow think that others were fools?
The gray-robed middle-aged man didn’t react to Shen Hai and Meng Long’s outburst. He simply tilted his head to look at Wang Chong.
“Young master, you can’t! Can you even call that an employment? What if something happens? Wouldn’t young master’s money go to waste then?”
Shen Hai strongly rejected to the matter. After he said those words, thunderous laughter roared behind him.
“Now you know!”
“Why do you think we refused to sit with him?”
“That bastard thinks of himself as some high and mighty existence! He’s just an arrogant and inept fool!”
“You finally understand the situation right? Seems like you have wasted your time!”
…
When Wang Chong and the others entered, the crowd had already noticed them, and they expected such a sight to occur as well.
“We have quite a few experts here as well. Why don’t you come here and we can talk about it?”
There were also a few who tried their best to promote themselves to Wang Chong.
“Alright.”
Just when everyone was laughing, Wang Chong finally spoke. That single word of his seemed to possess immeasurable magic.
In an instant, the entire room abruptly turned silent. Everyone stared at Wang Chong with a dumbfounded expression.
Even the gray-robed man, who was calm all this while, expressed a hint of surprise at Wang Chong’s words.