Chapter 569: Section 356: Zi Di: It was me who insisted on recruiting her.
“The alchemy guild’s Mage?” The Dragon-man youth saw Mage Zhong Bei burst in and wasn’t surprised, instead he muttered to himself, “Finally, they have come.”
Previously, the Dragon-man youth had learned that Bu Quan was a Silver Level alchemy master and a genius.
Adding on to the subsequent information about acquisitions and the news from Zhongyong, the Dragon-man youth’s awareness gradually increased as he understood clearly: even among the Silver Level alchemy masters, Bu Quan was extraordinary.
Bu Quan’s talent had been affirmed by many heavyweight Alchemy Mages.
It could be said that she was one of the treasures of the Alchemy Guild of the present day.
Although one could say that Bu Quan had voluntarily joined the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, as a foreign mercenary organization, recruiting such talent was definitely going to attract trouble.
The Dragon-man youth put himself in their shoes: If Big guy were treated this way, taken by those with ulterior motives to another organization, what would he feel? What would he do?
He, of course, would be unhappy and unwilling.
If the organization also harbored malice, then the Dragon-man youth was very likely to take violent action and forcefully demolish it!
Facing such a colossus as the alchemy guild, the situation that the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps would find themselves in after recruiting Bu Quan was imaginable.
Before Bu Quan’s second visit to the dock, Zi Di had privately discussed it with the Dragon-man youth.
She clearly stated, “Recruiting Bu Quan might bring us big trouble. If it provokes retaliation from the Alchemy Guild, the current Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps might not withstand it.”
The keyword in that sentence was “current.”
Clearly, Zi Di was very optimistic about the future of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, especially considering their upcoming Bloodline Purification Array.
“If Bu Quan has a strong intention to join us actively, our recruitment strategy must change so as to cope with future troubles as much as possible,” Zi Di suggested.
The Dragon-man youth frowned slightly, expressing concern, “Perhaps, giving up on recruiting Bu Quan, and becoming friends to establish some cooperation, would also be a good choice.”
Zi Di shook her head, her attitude firm, and she persuaded the Dragon-man youth, “My lord, do not just look at the present but towards the future. In the future, Bu Quan’s role is irreplaceable.”
“According to our deal with the City Lord of Snowbird Port, we’ll get three Silver Level Alchemy Mages.”
“Since these three Mages are being traded as bargaining chips, we shouldn’t expect their potential for growth.”
“Unless we use the Bloodline Purification Array on them.”
“Bu Quan, however, is different.”
“If she grows to become Golden Level in the future, or her alchemy level advances even further, then her value will far exceed the sum of these three Silver Level Alchemy Mages!”
“Then we would make a fortune!” Zi Di subtly changed the subject as she continued.
“Of course, the problem with Bu Quan is her loyalty. Her loyalty hasn’t been tested, unlike our other companions.”
“That’s not her fault, though. It’s just that she hasn’t shared experiences with us like on Mysterious Monster Island and so on.”
“That’s why we need her to join us even more, to act together, increasing our shared experiences.”
“Only by being together day and night can we cultivate trust between us. We can also gradually see clear her character and who she is. If things go smoothly, in the future she could become one of our core members.”
“Our Bloodline can be enhanced, but wisdom is a matter on another level.”
“I can’t deny that a large part of Bu Quan’s alchemical talent comes from her Bloodline. However, other Alchemy Mages with the same Bloodline do not have her alchemical flair.”
“She is definitely worth recruiting.”
“We have the alchemy materials from the War Merchant but can’t fully monetize them, maximizing their value.”
“It would be the same even if we obtained three Silver Level Alchemy Mages.”
“My and Cang Xu’s talent in alchemy… Squad leader, you should know it very well.”
“One must be aware of one’s limitations!”
“If Bu Quan joins, it will have a tremendous positive impact on the present and future of our Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.”
“In any case, we cannot give up such an opportunity.”
“If fate has brought her to us, then we should cherish it and quickly get her into our own bowl.”
“If we just become friends and let her stay on the outside, we won’t have time to cultivate feelings for each other.”
“Over time, her gratitude towards you, the squad leader, and her good impression of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, will gradually fade.”
“It’s like a Noble keeping a mistress; they must spend time together every so often to maintain the relationship.”
Zi Di’s peculiar analogy made the Dragon-man youth’s expression a bit weird.
Zi Di didn’t notice this and continued to immerse herself in her thoughts.
“Now is the best opportunity, we need to seize her.”
“Despite the risk from the Alchemy Guild, as long as we handle it properly, this risk can be greatly minimized.”
“Even if the situation becomes dire later, we can proactively dissolve the contract to avoid this risk.”
Zi Di meant they should try, they couldn’t give up easily. The risk was not small, but in the long run, Bu Quan would bring immense benefits to the survivors.
Then, she proposed a series of solutions.
The Dragon-man youth adopted her advice and implemented it according to these suggestions.
In the end, the contract signed between the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps and Bu Quan was incredibly lenient.
Bu Quan had mentioned that she wasn’t demanding about the salary, that the Dragon-man youth could decide.
Therefore, Zi Di proposed a salary of one Gold Coin.
This was undoubtedly more symbolic than practical.
This salary made Bu Quan herself taken aback on the spot.
Zi Di quickly added, “Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps will officially employ Bu Quan as the senior alchemy advisor accompanying the corps. And the real payment will be some precious alchemy knowledge.”
The specific form of knowledge included data and materials from alchemy experiments, as well as blueprints and formulas for alchemy potions and items.
Upon hearing this, Bu Quan’s surprise faded, and her eyes lit up.
She was very interested in such a method of payment and agreed without much hesitation.
When the Dragon-man youth asked about Zhongyong’s desired salary, the Fishman Mage could only grimace and proposed a low figure of 100 Gold Coins.
Before this, Zhongyong had intended to ask for a high price of 500 Gold Coins, but he hadn’t expected to face such fierce competition from Bu Quan.
Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, Zhongyong had no choice but to abandon his initial plan and voluntarily reduce his salary.
This move undoubtedly made the Dragon-man youth and Zi Di view him more favorably.
Both of them were, of course, well-informed about the hiring prices for an Alchemy Mage.
Normally, an Alchemy Mage like Zhongyong would have a salary of 200 Gold Coins per year.
The hiring price for an Alchemy Mage is far higher than that of a fighter of the same level, and also higher than a regular Mage.
The reason is simple: Alchemy Mages can create value on their own.
They can produce Alchemy Items and by selling these items, the employer can receive a steady return on investment.
Although it appears costly to hire an Alchemy Mage for 200 Gold Coins, in reality, it can be quite profitable for the employer. Moreover, the contract with an Alchemy Mage does not usually impose strong restrictions on them.
Zhongyong’s situation was different from that of most others in the market.
In essence, he was just a slave. The contract to be signed with him would undoubtedly be very strict.
Zi Di shook her head at the offer of 100 Gold Coins.
Zi Di stated that a yearly salary of 100 Gold Coins was simply too low, and she voluntarily raised it to 300 Gold Coins.
And that wasn’t all.
Zi Di also stated that each year in the future, Zhongyong’s performance would be assessed and evaluated. Depending on his performance, there would be various levels of rewards. If Zhongyong remained loyal to the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps for three years, he would receive a fixed annual share of the profits. Additionally, as the years went by, the proportion of the fixed share would increase.
Zi Di was a merchant full of wisdom, pursuing profits.
Therefore, she voluntarily offered to increase Zhongyong’s compensation as an incentive to boost his productive enthusiasm, thereby expanding the final profit.
Zhongyong was over the moon!
The contents of this contract showed him a new way of life.
Two days had passed since they signed the contract.
In the meantime, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps quietly leaked some information.
This move achieved its desired result—now, Mages from the Alchemy Guild were actively seeking them out.
The appearance of Zhong Bei was not so much anticipated by the Dragon-man youth as it was by design!
When confronted by the Alchemy Mage coming to hold them accountable, the Dragon-man youth immediately stood up and greeted with a smile, “Mage Zhong Bei, hello, please have a seat.”
The Snow Elf Mage was arrogant and his expression was cold, but as the saying goes, “You don’t slap a smiling face,” he hummed lightly and sat down next to the chair.
The Dragon-man youth shifted over to sit beside him.
A mercenary brought over tea and pastries.
“I don’t need your hospitality,” said the Snow Elf Mage without even looking at the tea and pastries.
He stared hard into the Dragon-man youth’s eyes, his attitude unyielding.
“Long Fu, you might not be fully aware of the seriousness of this matter.”
“You have deceived Mage Bu Quan in your recruitment! Even if you have already signed a Magic Contract, it is useless.”
“You have touched on matters you shouldn’t have! Mage Bu Quan belongs to our Alchemy Guild. Do you think the Alchemy Guild can be compared to the Saber Gang?”
The Dragon-man youth quickly waved his hands:
“Mage Zhong Bei, I have never intended to be enemies with the Alchemy Guild.”
“Not even if I had a dozen bear gallbladders would I become an enemy of yours.”
“One reason is that I am very aware that the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps is no match for the Alchemy Guild.”
“On the other hand, why would I want to oppose a friend?”
“We can discuss some matters amicably.”
After hearing this, Snow Elf Mage Zhong Bei couldn’t help but take another look at the young Dragon-man before him.
He had actually been very nervous.
Who didn’t know about the current reputation of the Dragon-man youth?
The origins of his conflict with the Saber Gang were widely gossiped about among the citizens of Snowbird Port.
The most circulated version of the story was that Ice Eagle, in a shop over a Golden Level potion, got into a conflict with the Dragon-man youth and others. Ice Eagle ridiculed the new arrivals, which sparked the Dragon-man youth’s spirit of resistance.
Afterward, Ice Eagle even influenced the Saber Gang to make things difficult for the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps multiple times, not just with various vexations but also by sending assassins to kill two Mages from the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
The Dragon-man youth fought back and ultimately triumphed over the strong with the weak, and justice eventually prevailed over evil!
In the eyes of Zhong Bei, the Dragon-man youth was a tough character.
How could someone who challenged Teng Donglang not be tough?
But after just a short interaction, he was surprised to find that the Dragon-man youth was actually very amenable and polite.
“Perhaps the reputation of the Alchemy Guild is too intimidating; the Saber Gang is often incomparable. Has Long Fu already softened?”
Thinking this, Zhong Bei couldn’t help but feel hopeful: “Perhaps this time, I can easily resolve this crisis.”