Chapter 317: The Town of Gradun
Oh, so that’s what he meant! Jason scoffed in amusement when he heard this, and he shook his head when he heard Gina chuckling as well! Jason couldn’t believe this bastard would phrase his words like that! If you want to join my guild, then tell me you want to join my fucking guild! Don’t make it sound so disgusting! Jason looked at Francis again and he saw the boy was still giving him a serious look. It was obvious that Francis was not joking at all about wanting to join Jason’s guild and Jason could only wonder what could’ve made Francis so interested in joining. The Monarch guild was only established a few days ago, and the only members on paper were Jason, Griselda, and Gina. It was literally the smallest guild in the country.
But the look on Francis’ face and the things that Francis had said earlier made it difficult for Jason not to take him seriously. Francis was obviously one of the higher-ranked members of the SMD Battle Division since he was here on this mission, so he must’ve put a lot of thought into leaving his own Division behind to join a small guild. Jason finally answered Francis with a small smile.
"If you get through this mission in one piece, then I’ll make you one of my vice captains."
Francis’ eyes widened at Jason’s answer, and Jason was taken aback by the sudden intensity he saw on Francis’ face! It was like Francis had transformed into a completely different person! Francis gave Jason a serious nod, and Jason could notice how Francis’ shoulder twitched as he almost saluted. But Francis managed to stop himself at the last moment before he turned and walked away from Jason.
’What an intense young man. You would think he was about to undertake a Cultivator’s Ascension.’
Esdath spoke up from inside Jason’s Alternate Dimension and Jason raised a brow at the strange terms that Hedeath had used. Esdath didn’t look like he was going to explain anything, so Jason just ignored him and turned to see Gina giving him a playful smile! Gina walked up to him and wrapped her hands around his waist as she said:
"So, he wants to be with you, eh?"
"Shut up."
Jason rolled his eyes as he said this, and Gina immediately pressed his face into his chest and broke into a fit of giggles when she heard the amusement in his voice. Jason smiled as he watched the superhumans talk amongst themselves and get their gear and artefacts ready, and he decided that it wouldn’t be so bad if all these people decided to join the Monarch guild. They were a new guild, and Griselda was going to need some superhumans to fill up the ranks. If they were going to get some superhumans to join, then it might as well be people who were brave enough to step forward even in the face of such impossible odds.
’But first we need to get through this.’
Jason’s expression turned serious as he looked over the gathered superhumans, and he called on all of them to come around before he turned to look at Katarina. Jason was still skeptical about Katarina and her abilities, but Jason wasn’t really worried since he knew that he could easily take care of her if she stepped out of line. Jason nodded at Katarina, and Katarina stood up with a calm expression on her face before she stretched her shackled hands out towards the superhumans.
"You all need to walk to me and let me touch you once. It’ll allow me to give you my support no matter how far away you are from me."
The superhumans looked at each other curiously and it wasn’t until Jason stepped forward first that they all paid attention once again. Jason walked up to Katarina and stood before her and Katarina smiled before she gently put her hand on his chest! Jason felt a sensation that was similar to the one he had felt when Liam had helped boost his abilities back during the BloodRaven raid. But this time, it was also something ’more’. Katarina’s power was purer than Liam’s own! If Liam’s ability filled you with pure adrenaline, then Katarina’s power was almost like some sort of holy energy that threatened to drown you in its purity! Jason felt all the muscles in his body strengthening, and his mana surged to life as it increased in volume! Even without fighting, Jason could already tell that he was at least fifty percent stronger than he had been just a minute ago! Was this what every single member of BloodRaven had been feeling every time they received support from Katarina? If that was true, then Jason could understand why her guild members started to treat Katarina like some sort of saint! Most people would kill to feel like this every single day!
Jason opened his eyes after Katarina was done with her support and he clenched his fist and released it to test the new power inside him. This wasn’t bad at all! Jason gave Katarina a nod for her efforts and he walked away and allowed someone else to step forward. The superhumans seemed to have finally accepted that Katarina was not a dangerous enemy and they began to move one after the other to meet her for her support. Gina was one of the next to go in and then Rufus and Luthor also went to get the support. All three of them were only able to get around fifty to sixty percent as well since they were also quite strong, but the weaker superhumans that were in the A rank and the very low S rank were able to receive up to even ninety percent in boost from Katarina.
As the last few people finally got their boosts, Jason announced that it was time for them to start heading out. They all had their plans and they knew exactly what it is that they were meant to be doing, so Jason was sure that they wouldn’t lose their composure when they reached Radagan. The superhumans got their last-minute preparations in as they checked their artefacts and their gear, and once they were all sure that nothing was missing, Jason turned to walk up to the roof of the building, and the superhumans all followed after him.
....
[Radagan]
[The Eastern Town of Gradun]
The town of Gradun was a large community that housed more than five hundred civilians. The town was filled with sturdy stone houses that had a similar appearance to what you would find in an old medieval town on Earth. It was a mining town that made most of its income from harvesting the dragonstones that could be found in a mountain a few miles north of the town. Dragonstone was a precious gem that shone with a fiery yellow light whenever it came into contact with mana, and the gem was seen as a status symbol among the rich and wealthy. A single gram of Dragonstone could be sold for thousands of Gold Coins. The members of this town were the largest harvesters of these gems, and every month they would take them to the Central Town to sell them to the nobles!
On a normal day, you would see various young dragonborns running around the town happily with the adult dragonborn moving around and performing their various duties either in the marketplace or in the town square, but today, there wasn’t a single soul to be seen in the streets. The square was deserted, and the main market was completely empty. All the residents of the town were staying inside their houses, and they all shut their doors and windows to prevent any trouble. The reason for this was simple: The Royal Army was in town.