Chapter 59 An Invitation from the Keller Family (1/2)
The odd circumstances which befell the Red Hawk mercenary group caused Rhode to harbor some doubts and became increasingly vigilant. Although on the exterior it appeared to be an accident, he felt that something was amiss. Just as Shauna had mentioned, that person gave her a whopping 150 gold coins as a deposit. That sum of money was a little too much for just some random fun.
Undoubtedly, there was something happening behind the scenes.
Rhode weighed the consequences in his mind, and in the end, he refused to allow Lize to gather information from Red Hawk. Since Barney caused a rift between both of their mercenary groups, Rhode didn't intend to cross the line and requested Old Walker to return to the Mercenary Association, assuming back his 'old-self.'
”When you return to the association, help me to watch out for any abnormal movement,” Rhode said to Old Walker while sitting behind an old wooden desk in the study while writing something on a paper.
”Notify me immediately if there's anything particularly strange. Then, if possible, find a tank for me.”
”Tank? Never heard of it.”
Rhode reached out his hand and smacked his forehead. Then, he quickly corrected his sentence.
”Err... find someone who can hold the front when in crisis.”
”Remember, we require no more than two people. Although at the moment, we lack members, the aspect we need to improve on is our teamwork.”
”Someone who can hold the front...?”
Hearing Rhode's request, Old Walker stroked his beardless chin and fell deep into thought.
”Hmm... I have some people in mind. But kid, I think should be prepared to spend quite a bit.”
”How much?”
Rhode raised his head and looked at the old man who was sitting in front of him.
”300 gold coins.”
Old Walker grinned.
”That much?”
Rhode frowned. The gold reward for completing Pavel Cemetery was only 500 coins. Now, Old Walker said that he needed more than half of it which left Rhode slightly puzzled. Typically, recruiting a mercenary didn't require that much money. A decent mercenary was only worth roughly 100 gold coins. There were even mercenaries who didn't want money to join a group. For example, Marleen and Old Walker. Old Walker only wanted 50 coins while Marleen was only interested in gaining experience. But now, Old Walker wanted 300 gold to recruit people?
Old Walker smiled wryly at Rhode's reaction. Ever since he joined the mercenary group, Rhode always kept this sarcastic attitude towards him. So, he wanted to somehow let him taste a little of his own medicine. Of course, he wouldn't explicitly express his intent since he was already part of the group, but hehe... when gains are involved, spending money is inevitable.
”Sure.”
But to his dismay, even though Rhode expressed shock at first, he neither became mad nor unhappy. Instead, he pulled open a drawer and grabbed a bag of gold before throwing it casually on the table.
”Here is 500 gold coins. Take it.”
”Eh?”
Seeing this, Old Walker's face turned stiff.
”Hey, boy, isn't this our payment? You're just giving it to me just like that?”
Rhode shrugged, ”It doesn't matter either way. At the moment, we don't need to use the money. Since you require it, then just take it with you.”
He didn't even bat an eyelid when he threw the bag of coins. To Old Walker, 500 gold coins was a considerable sum of money, but as for Rhode, 500 was just a mere drop in the ocean. Back in the game when he was a guild leader, managing millions of gold coins was a daily affair. Thus, these measly 500 coins weren't enough for him to feel heartache. Frankly, he was more worried that Old Walker would hesitate to spend. If that happened, he would deduct from his share of the payment.
If only Old Walker knew what Rhode was thinking right now... he would immediately reconsider his suggestion without a doubt. Unfortunately, reading other people's mind wasn't his forte.
Thus, Old Walker's impression of Rhode improved because he saw this as an act of generosity.
”Don't worry, boy.”
Old Walker picked up the bag with a solemn expression.
”I promise that I will bring back a suitable candidate that will satisfy you.”
Old Walker bowed and exposed a subtle smile.
”I will ensure that your money is well spent.”
”I hope so.”
As Rhode's attention was focused on the paper, he did not notice Old Walker's odd smile. After a moment of silence, Rhode put down the pen and looked up at Old Walker.
”Is there anything else?”
”Yes, I would like to ask; when will we accept another mission?”
”I've already accepted one. We'll head out two days later.”