Tier-8-Iron Post City,
When I reached the exit gate, I saw warriors were lining up in a queue. And the city guards were maintaining the order and a few of them began to screen the warriors. For identification, I noticed warriors showed their ID.
As for me, I decided to use Hansen Campus' ID. Since I'm a student, there won't be any problems for me going outside. Soon, one by one, warriors exited from the gate, and eventually my turn came up.
The city guard said, "Show me your identification card!"
Then hearing that I gave him the ID. The city guard took the ID from me and began to verify the details. Soon after confirming the identity, he gave back the ID to me and let me pass. I placed the ID card back on my storage ring and then walked towards the exit.
Unlike I had imagined, the walls of the city were built like other cities. There are also four monitoring towers at the four corners of the city. With such strong patrolling, it's understandable that bandits couldn't be able to stir commotion inside the city.
The outside of the city is covered with pure vegetation. There is only one road that can be seen leading somewhere. Seeing that warriors were walking along the same route, I believe it's the usual trade route where banditry often happens.
"I need to find a camp as soon as possible," I grunted.
For accommodation, I don't think there will be any temporary huts. I guess everyone has their own camp to stay at night. Compared to Liz's lonely mountain trip, this trip is very different. There I spent time without worrying about anything.
Other than the troublesome pseudo-monsters, the mountain Liz lives on is actually quiet.
Next, I followed behind another warrior. Both sides of the path are covered with green vegetation. It's difficult to see what's behind them. But according to the city map, I knew the city was very close to an insect forest.
Time went on,
After half an hour of walking, I spotted a few large camps. The Warriors can be seen taking a rest there. Seeing that, I increased my pace and in a few minutes, I reached the camp. This is actually a very large open area. I believe it's specifically cleared out for the missions.
I found there were many groups looking in our direction. Seeing their behavior, I guess they are looking for warriors to recruit into their team.
I didn't make a hasty decision after realizing. First, I'm going to figure out their strengths. If the boss of the group has Initial Trainee Warrior strength, then it is fine. Then I will join that group.
But if the strength is above that criteria, I won't join. In this atmosphere, the heart of man is difficult to understand. Who knows if there is a situation inside where people might turn against me? So I feel it's better to be on alert.
Then I found a tent where they were selling energy drinks. I decided to take this opportunity to figure out the situation around here. When I came near the tent, I found a middle-aged person behind the counter.
At first glance, I can't see through his strength. which means he might be a trainee warrior.
Behind the counter,
Seeing a new person coming towards the tent, the seller raised his head to see. But upon noticing it was a very young warrior, his face lit up with surprise. In curiosity, he tried to probe his strength, but his effort ended in vain. As there was a giant fog covering the person's body, the seller failed to notice anything.
Then suddenly a thought came to his mind. Recently, this insect forest's outer area has seen lots of crouching tigers and hidden dragons. And the seller thought this young warrior might be one of those with a rich background.
After figuring it out, the seller praised himself.
On the other hand, Zack Lockwood
I noticed the stranger was looking at me with a strange gaze. Then I immediately coughed to break the atmosphere.
"Cough" "Cough"
The seller immediately breaks out of his dream. Then, looking at the person before him, he asked in a polite tone, "Young Warrior, What do you need? "
Seeing the seller's friendly attitude, I was slightly surprised, but I didn't show it on my face.
"Give me one energy drink," I said.
Hearing that, the seller immediately went inside to bring the drink.
Next, I focused my attention on those groups. I can see the teams are talking to lots of warriors who are coming out of the city for bandit missions. The reward for bandit head is such a lucrative reward. Suddenly, a specific group attracted my attention, where as many as twenty warriors could be seen in this group.
"20 people in a team?" I muttered in surprise.
"Yeah, they are the fire crow team." A voice sounded from behind.
When I heard that, I turned to see the seller who had returned with the energy drink.
A quick glint flashes in my eyes; this guy might be the right person to ask.
I asked, "Do you know everything?
The seller smiled and replied, "Well, I know a few things about the teams. If you want to know, you can come inside. "
I nodded and walked inside the tent. The seller told his helper to watch the shop on behalf of him. We came to the back of the tent, where the seller's own tent can be seen. Looking at the tent, I guessed this guy was actually staying here at night. I thought these people would return back to the city at night.
Then I entered his little camp along with him.
After sitting cross-legged, the seller said, "Let me introduce myself. I'm Remington Talley. I'm a fire element trainee warrior. I'm a native of Iron Post City. So you can tell, I knew a lot of things since I grew up here."
Hearing that, I nodded, but I didn't believe him because of his words. After getting his information, I needed to find its authenticity.
Seeing the calm expression of the young warrior, Remington realized one thing. It's not easy to convince others. Especially in this place where banditry is rampant.
Thinking about it, Remington reveals an embarrassing smile & takes out his ID card to show.
I took his ID card to see.
I muttered, "Burke Trading Centre."
This guy is currently working at Burke Trading Centre as a clerk. So I can see that in order to earn more profit, they had set up a stall here to sell their items. From this energy drink, I can infer that their main commodity is beverages.
After taking a look at the ID one more time, I gave it to him.
"Young warrior, are you convinced?" Remington asked while taking back the ID.
"To be honest, I don't care about your background. As long as your information is fine, I can pay you with credit points. " I said with a smile.
"Straight to the point," Remington uttered.
Then Remington added, "As long as the young warrior is willing to pay 2000 credit points. I can tell you everything that I know. "
I replied, "1000 credit points no more. Because I'm not in a hurry, I can spend a few more days collecting the information. So you can think about it. "
Remington was displeased, but again he realized the information which he knew was not that secret. If this young man spends some time in the city to ask around, he will eventually know. After realizing this, he sighed in his heart, "It's not easy to fool young people these days."
Then Remington compromised in his heart and said, "Alright, 1000 credit points is okay for me."
Because the beverages he sold were at a cost of 10 points/energy credit. and his monthly salary is 3000 credit points. He's thinking about earning 1000 credit points by selling known information. He feels it's worth it. Only secretive information sells for higher prices.
After figuring it out, he looked at Zack and said, "Well, I'll start with hunting teams. Currently, there are a total of 10 teams in this camp. The top three teams were exceptionally strong; each team killed at least 40 bandits."
"40 bandits!" I exclaimed in surprise. What is the concept? How many warriors are actually involved in banditry?
Remington wasn't surprised to see Zack's reaction. He said with a bitter smile and replied, "I know what you are thinking. The City Lord's negligence led up to such a calamity. A few years ago, the city did not look like this. There is no strict law whatsoever. Bribery and corruption are everywhere. And there is no strict screening of people coming over here. Slowly, the city has turned into such a state now."
From his explanation, it's still hard to believe the number of bandits in the forests.
I looked at him and asked, "Do you know the approximate number of bandits still hiding in the forests?"
Remington took a moment to reply, "I heard there are still 500 bandits hiding in the forests."
500 bandits The number is quite astonishing. How do these people tackle these numbers with just 20 hunting teams? Uncle had previously warned me not to get too involved in this matter.