Chapter 107: Chapter 107

"Are you guys here to choose tasks too? Do you want to team up?" Xi Qianxue asked.

"Let’s go our separate ways for now. We’ll have chances to work together in the future, but now it would just waste time," the boss responded directly.

"That makes sense, then. Good luck with your tasks," Xi Qianxue politely said before leaving with her group.

Looking forward, the boss commanded, "We need to pick our task quickly as well. They have begun, and we can’t waste any time. The sooner we earn merits, the easier it will be to elevate our status."

"Boss, what kind of task should we choose? There are so many." Lao Er asked loudly.

The boss glanced at the missions posted on the wall, then declared, "This one. Let’s start with this mission."

"Exterminate mountain bandits? It’s just a small bandit hideout in a remote area. They don’t seem very strong, and this mission won’t contribute much. Why are we choosing this one when there are so many others?"

The boss said nonchalantly, "Before I came here, I looked into the related material. Initially, this secluded bandit area was actually a trading point between the Beastmen and Wood Shield City. Ostensibly we are just exterminating bandits, but in reality, we are there to obtain evidence of their collusion. Once we have this, our standing will rise quickly."

"So that’s the case. No wonder our teacher said that gathering intelligence is the most important thing in the Derived World. I guess I’m not adept at this kind of thinking compared to the boss," Lao Er said, scratching his head.

Du You was really exasperated. Why was it so hard to just choose something suited to himself, like barreling in headfirst?

"What if we took a few more bandit extermination tasks, wouldn’t it be better to finish them all at once?" Du You suggested.

"We don’t have time to waste, and the profits wouldn’t increase greatly. As long as we earn enough merits, we can directly get rewards like skills or equipment in Border City. Although we can’t take these with us right away, we can spend fewer crystal coins to make them ours."

It’s easier to convert direct award equipment into your own property by spending crystal coins.

Du You checked the information left on his wristwatch. He couldn’t link to the Magic Network at this time, but he could access some data.

Turns out these award items were also counted as part of task rewards. So, it’s easier to make them your own, but they could only be used by yourself. Giving them to someone else would remove the discount. The source of this content ɪs 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹~𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮~𝚗𝚎𝚝

Moreover, the equipment rewards could be purchased with any crystal coins, but the skills rewards could only be converted using untouched crystal coins, otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to learn them.

Sometimes the rules really were hard to comprehend.

"All right, let’s go," the boss took the mission tag and headed towards the door. The mission registration area wasn’t in their hall.

As soon as they arrived, they saw Lin Feng and Xi Qianxue leading their team out. Lin Feng snorted again, speeding up his pace, the disdain and scorn clear in his eyes.

"Hmph, without his family’s background, this guy would be nothing," Lao Er scoffed. The three people following him were actually bought off. It couldn’t be helped, given the Lin family’s powerful reputation.

The boss remained silent. After completing the mission registration, the mission was updated on the panel.

Side Mission: Exterminate Mountain Bandits. A bandit group located ten miles to the east is seriously hindering the trade between two cities. Border City hopes someone can resolve this issue.

The task introduction was very brief, even more so than the information obtained beforehand. That at least stated that the bandit group consisted of over thirty individuals.

Never mind that, since they had accepted the mission, they set out. "Don’t underestimate this task. On the surface, there are thirty people, but there are actually hundreds hidden. Our main goal is to investigate; as long as we get evidence of their collusion, we’re fine. If I remember correctly, the evidence should be hidden in their warehouse."

Where did he get such detailed information from? Du You also had a feeling that he seemed like a liability. But, it was just a feeling.

In terms of strength, Du You believed that no one present could beat him. Even if they teamed up, he could probably handle it.

Following the boss, the three of them left Border City through a special underground passage.

Soldiers usually didn’t use the main gates when leaving for missions. They traveled through special underground channels. These were very narrow, accommodating only one person at a time. In times of war, these passages could be destroyed.

Emerging from the dark underground passage, the group appeared outside the city.

"This way, follow me." Despite being in the mountains, for people as physically fit as Professionals, covering ten miles wasn’t particularly time-consuming.

Du You didn’t go full speed either, he followed the boss at a steady pace. Surprisingly, their journey was free of danger. The toughest enemy they encountered was a pair of wolves; they didn’t even see any half-beastmen.

"The area near the city really is cleaned up well. These bandits are pretty bold to be active just ten miles from the city," Du You remarked as they walked. The distance was relatively short.

"It’s exactly because of this that they’re safe. No one would suspect them. They’ve been entrenched here for many years and usually don’t rob merchants passing by, only occasionally targeting small teams without backing. Otherwise, they would have been wiped out long ago. As their chance of loot is low and the location is remote, even though it is close, no one is willing to confront them."

The boss explained as they walked, when Du You suddenly remembered something, "By the way, I saw it earlier, there seems to be a mine to the north. Why didn’t anyone mine it?"

"You mean that vein? It’s a Black Flame Iron vein that produces a mineral called Black Flame Iron. Unfortunately, it has a dark attribute and erodes normal people, so nobody likes it. However, it’s different in the later period."

The boss continued, "In the later period, a large number of mages join in, and Black Flame Iron becomes a favourite of Beastmen for rituals. Because of this vein, a considerably large conflict arose."

No wonder the boss remembered so clearly, something significant occurred related to this vein. Du You’s eyes squinted slightly. If it contained Dark Element Stones, then they should still be in the mine.