Global Lords: Hundredfold Increments Starting With the Undead

The person sitting on the wooden chair was clad in leather armor, with very short cropped hair.

From the facial contours and slightly raised chest, it was clearly a woman.

The woman put down her cup of wine and spoke, "Mr. Eric, are you seeking me for a task assignment?"

Her voice was androgynous and matched her attire well.

Eric revealed a smile and said, "Captain Angus, this time my friend wants to discuss some business with you. As for cooperation, there will be plenty of opportunities once we have this first contact."

"Oh? What kind of business? We don't carry out murder or arson," Angus continued.

Eric, with Fang Hao, sat down at the table and said, "My friend likes to collect artifacts in his spare time, and he happened to learn that Captain Angus possesses a piece of art called the Swords of Absolution..."

With that said, Eric stopped speaking, and all three of them gazed at the woman across the table.

Angus looked curiously at Fang Hao and asked flatly, "How did you know I possess this item?"

"Heard it in a tavern," Fang Hao casually answered.

No matter where the answer had actually come from, addressing it further would raise more questions; blurred answers being the most appropriate in such tavern talk.

Angus raised an eyebrow, "Do you believe everything you hear in a tavern? Do you think we mercenaries keep such things?"

"Isn't that why I came to ask! If Captain Angus indeed has it, I can offer a very good price, better than the payoff of task assignments," Fang Hao straightforwardly said.

The information from the Cranial Rat was quite reliable. If it could find a Faceless in the city, then it wouldn't be mistaken about an artifact.

The only question now was whether the woman in question was willing to sell the artifact.

Hearing that Fang Hao was willing to pay a high price, Angus's curiosity was piqued. She continued, "Tell me, how much can you give?"

"5000 gold coins, enough for you and your comrades to live lavishly through the winter, keeping your families well-fed and warm," Fang Hao replied casually.

Upon hearing this number, Angus managed to maintain her composure.

But her two subordinates' eyes bulged, displaying a shocked expression.

Mercenary work is one of bloodshed and peril. Recent tasks have been miscellaneous orders, requiring many hands for just a few gold coins—most of the time, it's just silver coins.

They hadn't had any jobs worth hundreds of gold coins, and the ones that were, usually came with life-threatening risks.

The 5000 gold coins, indeed, was a substantial sum for the present Flame Mercenary Group.

Sufficient to let all the brothers have a well-fed and warmly clothed winter.

The whispers of the two men made Angus glance back at them with a stern look.

The terrified subordinates promptly closed their mouths.

"Is this artifact very important to you?" Angus asked.

"Quite important."

Angus thought for a moment before continuing, "I do have one indeed, but I'm also quite fond of this artifact and have no intention of selling."

Hearing this, the matter seemed easier to resolve.

If she truly liked it and didn't plan to sell, she wouldn't admit to possessing the artifact.

Now that she brought it up, she presumably wanted a higher price.

"How much are you planning to ask for it? If it exceeds my estimate, I will give up on this item," Fang Hao asked directly.

Angus looked at Fang Hao and then at Eric.

After pondering for a while, she finally said, "8000 gold. And this year, when the City Lord travels to Silver Wing City to attend the meeting, I hope our Flame Mercenary Group will have a place on the list of mercenaries to be hired for escort."

Hearing Angus' terms, Fang Hao slightly furrowed his brows.

Obviously, she was aware of his identity; otherwise, she wouldn't bring up the matter of the City Lord's hiring mercenaries.

"That's too much money. And for the City Lord's matter, I'm not in charge. It's useless to talk to me about it," Fang Hao continued.

Angus kept her eyes on Fang Hao, scrutinizing his expressions.

"7000 gold. You help to submit our name for the nomination, and whether or not we get selected, we'll do our best to strive for it," Angus said.

"Alright," Fang Hao accepted.

"Good, how do we transact?"

"I'll send someone to get the money, and you can send someone to get the item," Fang Hao suggested.

"Okay."

Both sides sent their men to retrieve the items, aiming to quickly complete the transaction.

In the downtime, Fang Hao curiously asked, "Captain Angus, why do you want to undertake the escort mission?"

"Task assignments aren't easy, I want my brothers to have a backer," Angus replied without hesitation.

"Considering Captain Angus' ability, are there any tasks you find difficult?" Eric chimed in.

Angus smiled slightly but didn't elaborate.

After finishing the deal, the three continued to converse informally, discussing miscellaneous matters in a probing manner.

...

Before long, the door opened again.

Each of their men returned with their respective items.

The mercenary squad carried a long wooden box, which appeared to be tightly packed.

Simultaneously, the Lionheart Knight handed Fang Hao a bag made of beast skin, filled to the brim with gold coins.

The exchange was conducted; the clinking sound of gold coins echoed crisply through the room.

Fang Hao pushed the bag towards Angus, "Count them."

Angus handed her wooden box in return, then opened the bag and quietly started counting.

[Swords of Absolution]

In the wooden box were two swords, one long and one short, both sporting the same design.