Anyone who has lost a large sum of public funds in doing things can definitely understand Xiao Chen's mood at this moment. Xiao Chen and Chen Hansheng both carried with them the deposit they were going to pay to the mercenary leader, which added up to at least 50 or 60 gold coins. In modern times, this is equivalent to a huge sum of nearly 400,000 RMB.
It can be said that every penny of this money was earned by them at the risk of their lives and with great effort, and it was used to rescue their companions in the school whose lives were unknown.
Seeing that a huge amount of money had been stolen and the matter of hiring mercenaries to save the school was about to be delayed, Xiao Chen was very anxious. Without thinking, he used all his strength to transform all the mental power he could mobilize into fear magic and cast it at the thief. This attack was far beyond his usual level. After using this magic, he felt dizzy, his throat was sweet, and he almost spit out a mouthful of blood.
The mental shock was silent, but it exploded like a bomb with the thief as the center. As the invisible ripples swept across the entire venue, the unprepared mercenaries suddenly fell down screaming as if they were infested by a nightmare.
The thief at the center of the explosion collapsed to the ground, unable to get up. The ground between her trembling legs was already wet. The tall man knelt beside her, covering his face, and cried out like a child: "Mom, Mom!"
"I was wronged! He framed me." Chen Hansheng slumped on the ground, closed his eyes, and shouted these two sentences over and over again, while Ines knelt on the ground, hunched his back, and muttered something in prayer.
The magic of the Heart of Fear does not distinguish between friend and foe. Xiao Chen quickly helped Chen Hansheng up and shouted his name. However, he still struggled for a long time in the dream that seemed real and illusory.
When Chen Hansheng came back to his senses, he found himself leaning against a rock, barely able to stand on his own legs. He watched Xiao Chen walk up to the thief and pick up the purse, his eyes filled with awe and other indescribable complex emotions.
Xiao Chen packed up his purse and found that the thief lying on the ground was a young girl. However, her face was covered with dust and was distorted by the magic. Her eyes were dull and she did not look as beautiful as a girl of her age.
She seemed to be still immersed in a very scary dream, her body was shaking constantly, her face was pale, and she screamed indistinctly. He felt a little guilty, he knew that this thief who looked like a middle school student was in the center of the magic explosion and must have been hit the most. Although his fear magic would not harm the body, it would cause great torture to the human spirit. If this continued, she might be scared to death by her own fear.
Xiao Chen had no choice but to help her up and slapped her cheeks hard a few times. The girl woke up with a scream, and when she saw Xiao Chen, she screamed even more miserably, "Devil, devil!" She repeated the word loudly while crawling to the side.
It seems that my image in her eyes is as good as that of a devil, Xiao Chen smiled bitterly to himself.
"Mr. Magician, what's going on?" At this time, Kalanda and several other mercenary leaders came to the street corner. Kalanda looked at the mercenaries lying on the ground and the embarrassed thief with a confused look on his face, and asked loudly.
Xiao Chen looked around at the mercenary leaders, wiped away a trace of blood from the corner of his lips without leaving a trace, and smiled slightly: "Leaders, you have to thank me. I just solved a riot for you."
The magician's notoriety and high status undoubtedly came from their mysterious and terrifying power. Xiao Chen's behavior today was simply the best footnote to this power. The irresistible fear made the mercenaries who had experienced this magic silent.
Nothing is more convincing than power to those who rely on power.
The leaders gathered their own men, carried away the injured, and gathered around Xiao Chen and his men obediently under the call of the old housekeeper Ines. Kalanda also helped up the still frightened thief and brought the big man to Xiao Chen.
"Respected magician, I have already found out the reason. Katarina is a member of my team. She offended you, but she was also punished by you. Please forgive her sins. After all, she is still a child who has not grown up." Kalanda's voice was a little low, and Xiao Chen could feel her nervousness.
The mercenaries around him looked at him anxiously or fearfully, like prisoners waiting for judgment. This made Xiao Chen feel a little proud. In this world, magicians really have the final say. To offend a magician, it might be a big deal in the eyes of ordinary people.
"Ms. Kalanda, I know you. We had the honor of having a drink together." Xiao Chen said calmly, "But I still need to know why the Blue Flame Mercenary Group, which has a good reputation, would be interested in my wallet."
"This is definitely not the intention of the Blue Flame Mercenary Group. Catalina was in a hurry to find money to rescue a companion, so she made such a mistake. Leo is a brave warrior. In the last battle, he was seriously injured while protecting Catalina." Kalanda comforted the trembling Catalina who leaned on her and continued, "As long as you are willing to forgive her, the Blue Flame Mercenary Group is willing to only charge half of the commission and carry out this mission for you."
Xiao Chen asked, "Half the price?"
"Katrina made a mistake for her teammates, so the team has to take responsibility for her. But I also have to be responsible for the interests of other people in the team, so I can only do this. If this still cannot satisfy you, other requirements or punishments will be borne by me alone." Kalanda said neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"This woman is quite responsible." Chen Hansheng beside Xiao Chen said quietly.
Xiao Chen nodded and said, "That makes sense. But I won't deduct your money. Out of respect for the warriors, I am willing to advance you 50 gold coins from my reward. What I need in return is that you fight for me with all your strength."
"Are you willing to save Leo?" Catalina, who was in a daze just now, suddenly seemed to wake up and was surprised to see Xiao Chen, "Here, this is fifty gold coins."
"What is gold in front of a warrior's life? It's just an advance payment. If you had explained the reason to me, you wouldn't have made the same mistake just now."
"But, for you big shots, aren't mercenaries just paid to die? If our employer hadn't insisted on taking that shortcut regardless of our lives, and if we hadn't run into the bandits, Leo wouldn't have done that..."
Kalanda covered Katarina's mouth, bowed to Xiao Chen and said, "You are such a generous magician. You trust us so much. The Blue Flame Mercenary Group will fight to the death for you. Please don't pay attention to Katarina's nonsense. I'm afraid she is a little frightened."
Xiao Chen looked at the girl, who was at most a high school student, with some sympathy. He took out a purse, put it in her hand, and sighed, "I just hope that the people who fight with me can become true companions."
Xiao Chen turned to the other mercenaries and said loudly: "You have seen my strength and my generosity. Now I need an army that obeys orders! Who is willing to follow me?"
For a moment, the small square was filled with noise and followers.
———————————
"People's hearts can be used." Chen Hansheng looked at the mercenaries who were neatly packing their luggage in the open space outside the city and said to Xiao Chen, "You have achieved the combination of kindness and force."
The two of them and several soldiers from the military group, all leading horses, set out immediately to rescue the school once all the mercenaries had gathered.
"The role of gold coins is the main one, but apart from gold coins, people still need a lot of other things. Sometimes, giving them a little respect and sympathy will bring very different results." Xiao Chen patted his black horse and took out some beans to feed it.
"I thought these idiots didn't care about being sympathized with." Chen Hansheng said with a laugh.
"No one doesn't need sympathy from others, it's just that many times the way of sympathy is wrong." Xiao Chen shrugged.
"Two hundred and thirty people, belonging to six mercenary groups. Five of them have fighting spirit, two have bloodline power, and one is a magic archer with elven blood." Chen Hansheng flipped through the final roster and sighed, "Although Kalanda's team has only twelve people, two of them have fighting spirit, one has the bloodline of a magic bear, and they are also half-elf archers. They account for half of the high-end combat power, which is really powerful."
"With these people's help, we can do something when we go back." Li Tianrui seemed full of anticipation when he said this.
————————————
At the time of parting, Luo Ling brought everyone who stayed behind to see them off. No matter how many conflicts they had before, all that was left now were blessings and instructions.
"Xiao Chen." Luo Ling called him and walked straight to a small woods on the side of the road. Seeing this, Xiao Chen quickly let go of the reins and followed.
Through the sparse branches, there is a vast plain in front. After crossing this plain and passing through the forest in the distance, you will return to the school.
"You should know that I actually want to go back with this team." Luo Ling said, looking into the distance.
"This is a war, women should not be involved." Xiao Chen stood behind her and answered in a nonchalant manner.
"A battle of life and death does not distinguish between men and women. And women have always been better at surviving than men. When we need to be ruthless, we are much more ruthless than you. Especially when we have to defend what we cherish most."
Xiao Chen scratched his head and did not argue.
"Oh, do you think I'm interested in fighting? Or talking nonsense with Baron Goya about business? What I want most now is to stay at home in Shanghai, wrapped in a quilt, eating snacks, and watching movies. Humph, I still have several TV series to catch up with."
Xiao Chen laughed. He suddenly liked the fact that Luo Ling vented what was in her heart. Wasn't this a kind of resonance for him
"I hate this place, I want to go home!" Luo Ling's tone was filled with sadness, "But the closest thing to home here is the school."
Xiao Chen saw Luo Ling turned around. He couldn't see clearly because of the light behind her, but he felt that there was a little sparkle in her eyes. "Promise me, protect it, keep it."
"Don't worry, I will make sure that I am in the city..."
Xiao Chen was halfway through his words when he was startled by Luo Ling's action. She came over and reached out to untie the spark sword from his waist, trying to tie it up a little. Her movements were not natural and her technique was a little rusty. She tried several times before she chose the right height. "You're going to ride a horse next, so the sword needs to be hung more comfortably."
Luo Ling came close to Xiao Chen, bending slightly, almost touching his chest, with her long hair touching his chin. A faint fragrance from her hair naturally floated to his nose and stayed in his heart.
"That's good." Luo Ling patted the scabbard and stood up, but found that Xiao Chen's eyes were a little red.
"How come you..." She even had moments when she forgot what to say.
"Ah, you have to take care of yourself, don't be stubborn, and be careful..." Xiao Chen turned his face away and gave a lot of instructions in one breath.
"Haha, it seems like you've said everything I need to say." Luo Ling raised her head, her eyes never leaving him.
"Uh, what I meant was..."
"Take care." She hugged him gently and then hugged him tightly.
Maybe it was a long time, maybe just a moment, when Xiao Chen recovered from his daze, Luo Ling was already standing in front of him calmly.
"It's just good luck to you," she said as she turned and left.