yournovel Chapter 56: They might have always been in cahoots.
Chapter 56: They might have always been in cahoots.
Chapter 56 They might have always been in cahoots.
Milan was much easier to talk to when she wasn't drinking; at least she wouldn't argue back after you said just one word.
"Phew—that's the situation," the vice president sighed after summarizing the current situation. "Although we can't determine the source of the monster uprising, I personally suggest that you go and check out that village that has lost contact."
Previously, when he used the word "suggestion," Milan would probably have sneered and said something like, "Don't give advice if you don't understand."
The vice president carefully collected the map on the table and handed it to Milan, who then handed it to Rodnu, saying, "You should keep this."
Since leading the team to get lost for an entire day last time, Milan has fully realized its shortcomings, while smart people choose to play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses.
Professional matters should be left to professionals.
After discussing everything, the group left the private room one after another. The adventurers who were sitting in the second-floor hall immediately noticed the vice president in charge and surrounded him one by one.
"Vice President, I heard there's been a monster uprising recently, and the nearby villages are severely affected. Do you need any help?"
"The brothers are all waiting for a big mission. When is the guild going to organize one?"
"With so many monsters, the guild must be getting a lot more requests. Shouldn't we raise everyone's bounties?"
This group of shrewd, seasoned adventurers were clearly trying to extract some crucial information from the vice president so they could gain an advantage in the subsequent distribution of profits.
Their words were full of polite flattery, but their eyes shrewdly darted back and forth between Milan and Rod, who was dressed as a wandering knight.
"Vice President, who is this distinguished guest you've entertained this time?" A rather dashing-looking adventurer put his arm around him familiarly. "Why don't you introduce him to the brothers? You're being too formal."
"Haha—what are you talking about?"
The vice president, with his signature amiable smile, uttered a string of impeccable pleasantries, skillfully engaging in small talk among the crowd.
Milan looks exhausting.
"See, this is what happens when you try to talk nicely to these people."
Milan glanced at them, then ignored the guys who were trying to curry favor and pry into her life, and strode down the carpet to the first floor.
Some reckless individuals tried to stop her, but they were blocked by Don Quixote's greatsword and could not get close at all.
"If you try to communicate with them normally, they will inevitably try to argue with you in various ways, which is a waste of time."
Seeing the vice president surrounded, Milan shook her head and strolled leisurely along, talking to her companion beside her.
"But if I keep arguing with and attacking them, either they won't be able to stand it and will leave, or they'll have to use all the energy they were putting into those little schemes to deal with me and make sure the work can move forward."
Won't this kind of operation get you killed?
Such questions arose simultaneously from the hearts of Susanna and Alina, the only two normal people in the consciousness space.
"I see." Rhodes nodded thoughtfully, as if he had understood something, causing Alina in the consciousness space to give up on communication and choose silence.
Susanna, who was standing nearby, broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing his words.
Don't corrupt the few normal people in the group!
"Uh—Lord Hiro," Susanna whispered to Rhodes, "please don't do what Lord Milan did—"
"Hmm?" Rhodes asked, somewhat puzzled. "Why do you say that?"
“Your situation is a little different. She’s a mage—” Susanna paused, “and a mage from the Arcane Academy.”
"What do you mean?" Rod asked, puzzled.
"It means I'm very strong and have a powerful background," Milan, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned around and said, "To do something that offends people like this, you either have to be a very good fighter or a very fast runner—"
"Otherwise, you'll get beaten up sooner or later."
"Actually, I run pretty fast—" Rhodes wanted to speak, but was quickly stopped by Alina in his consciousness space.
"If you know you'll be disliked, then don't do it!" Susanna sighed silently.
"Lord Milan, offending such a prominent local figure could hinder our next move—" Susanna weakly advised.
"Someone with some influence? What big shot could come from a small place like this?" Milan couldn't help but show a mocking expression. "They're just a bunch of worthless nobodys who bully others because they have a little power."
Milan would not deign to be arrogant towards those country bumpkins.
After all, what's the point of showing off to a bunch of clueless people?
She still enjoys crushing these guys who usually seem high and mighty, seeing them dislike her but unable to do anything about it, and even having to beg her for mercy.
Only in this way can we alleviate the frustration caused by research bottlenecks.
Ah, that feels so good.
Tap tap tap—
As the group walked down the stairs, the noisy, sweaty commotion from the lobby drifted over.
Just as Rhodes was about to reach the top of the steps, a questioning whisper came from Alina in his consciousness space: "Why is that guy here?"
'
Rhodes paused, his gaze instinctively sweeping across the hall, past the dense crowd, searching for the person Alina had mentioned.
"Who?" Rhodes asked in his mind. In his line of sight, he could only see a few adventurers with decent equipment walking out arm in arm, not particularly noticeable in the crowd.
"You don't recognize him?" Alina was speechless. "You beat him up here last time, yet you don't remember what he looks like?"
'
"No, who are you talking about?"
Sensing Rhodes's confusion, Alina sighed, "You remember all those complicated routes perfectly, so how come you can't remember a single one of those people's faces?"
"People are much more complicated than roads—" Rhodes's gaze wandered.
"It shouldn't be that hard to remember a face, right? —" Alina couldn't help but sigh and remind her, "It's the one who called you a shill after you came back with Milan and the others."
Rod pondered for a moment before he could barely reconcile the image of the gleeful bearded man in the corner with the image of the conman lying on the ground, wailing and begging for mercy in his memory.
"Oh, it's him—"
At this moment, the conman who had failed in his extortion attempt was not alone, but instead brought his companions and huddled together with a well-equipped adventurer.
The group seemed to have a good relationship; if drinking weren't prohibited in the Adventurers' Guild Hall, they probably would have already been drinking and chatting happily.
Of course, their destination after leaving the guild is most likely a tavern or other entertainment venue.
"We think we saw that archer in light armor upstairs before. He must be a member of some great adventurer's guild," Alina said somewhat uncertainly after carefully recalling the faces she had seen on the second floor.
"Really?" Rhodes didn't seem to care much about it.
"Why would an adventurer like him, a conman with such a bad reputation, associate with him?" Alina asked with some concern.
After all, if that bearded guy dared to cause trouble in the Adventurers' Guild, he probably wouldn't be a problem for swindling and cheating other adventurers either.
"Maybe it's because—they were always in cahoots," Rhodes casually offered a completely different idea.
"Hmm... Hmm?" Alina was slightly startled.
"You mean—that the last disturbance wasn't accidental at all, but was orchestrated by a major adventurer's group, who deliberately sent these thugs to probe the Adventurers' Guild's attitude?" She quickly understood what Rhodes meant.
"Maybe," Rod replied in a nonchalant tone.
When both parties share resources, there is an inherent conflict of interest between the platform and the employee.
After all, the Adventurers' Guild isn't a charity; it's essentially an organization that makes money by taking a cut, controlling the allocation of various resources, and exploiting information asymmetry.
Adventurers are a group of free laborers who sell their strength and risk their lives for money.
Today, adventurers may be demanding lower standards and higher bounties; tomorrow, guilds may be monopolizing commissions and suppressing commissions.