Rank and Status

"Boss, these are the two mercenary groups we've contacted: Iron Hand Mercenary Group and Giant Arrow Mercenary Group."

A Long saw the situation and led the two group leaders over, introducing them proactively.

"This is Li Zhengdao, the leader of Iron Hand Mercenary Group. He's quite strong, an A-class warrior. And this is Yang Zhushan, the leader of Giant Arrow Mercenary Group, who has mastered a fifth-tier combat skill, the Giant Arrow Sky-Splitting Technique, which allows him to shoot down a Lord-level monster from three thousand meters away."

Kent looked at the two men. Li Zhengdao was a lean middle-aged man in his thirties, with long limbs and tightly defined muscles. Yang Zhushan stood slightly shorter than Kent, around 1.7 meters, with a rather average appearance. However, his eyes were sharper than those of a hawk.

It was clear that both men were skilled and possessed extraordinary abilities.

"Kent, pleased to meet you, Leader Li and Leader Yang," Kent said, extending his hand. This took both men by surprise; given Kent's age and status, they hadn't expected him to initiate a handshake.

But as soon as they realized that the young man before them was the youngest One-Star Inspector in Earthstar City's history, their expressions softened. They smiled and shook hands with Kent.

Kent understood that inviting these two mercenary groups wasn't free, but at most, it would cost him around twenty million credit points. If his Red Fire Mine was successfully auctioned off, his net worth would jump to over a hundred billion. Plus, with his current status as Earthstar City's youngest One-Star Inspector, he had enough clout to attract respect from major mercenary groups. Many would even approach him voluntarily.

Kent also knew that the presence of two Four-Star Inspectors would ensure that these mercenary groups would put in their best effort for him.

"By the way, let me introduce the two of them as well."

Kent didn't want to miss this great opportunity. Having two Four-Star Inspectors stationed here would definitely push these two mercenary groups to go the extra mile.

"These are Qian Zhenqian, the Four-Star Inspector from Earthstar City, and Li Wan Feng, the Four-Star Inspector from Weiguang City," Kent introduced with a smile.

As expected, Li Zhengdao and Yang Zhushan's expressions immediately changed. They became much more respectful. While Li Wan Feng was relatively inconspicuous, as his influence was limited to Weiguang City, Qian Zhenqian was an untouchable figure for them.

While both Iron Hand and Giant Arrow Mercenary Groups were strong, they were closer to Three-Star groups than Four-Star ones. In the world of freelance mercenary groups, they were quite powerful, but compared to the top-tier groups, they were nothing extraordinary.

"We are honored to meet you, Lord Inspector Qian and Lord Inspector Li," the two leaders said, both a bit hesitant to shake Kent's hand, but when facing Qian Zhenqian and Li Wan Feng, they didn't even attempt to extend their hands. They knew their place and respectfully cupped their fists in greeting.

"Kent, I've heard of these two groups before. They seem to be capable, and with them helping you out, things will be much smoother for me," Qian Zhenqian spoke first, before turning to Li Zhengdao and Yang Zhushan. He said calmly, "Leaders Li and Yang, I'm not one to wield my influence recklessly, so there's no need to be so formal with me. As long as you do your job well, I'll consider you both if I need additional manpower in the future."

Li Zhengdao and Yang Zhushan's faces lit up with joy. They quickly cupped their fists and said, "Thank you, Lord Inspector Qian. We will do our best."

Qian Zhenqian nodded, then gestured for someone behind him to step forward. A two-meter-tall man, rugged in appearance, with large hands and feet, walked forward, carrying a large sword.

"Hong Lie, you should get to know them. From here on out, Hong Dao Mercenary Group will take the lead, with Iron Hand and Giant Arrow Mercenary Groups assisting."

The man named Hong Lie glanced indifferently at Li Zhengdao and Yang Zhushan and said, "You two came a bit earlier; you can fill me in on the situation here."

Li Zhengdao and Yang Zhushan had no objections. They had heard of the famous Hong Dao Mercenary Group, a Five-Star group closely tied to Qian Zhenqian, and they knew Hong Lie, the leader, was a figure of significant power. Upon meeting him, they had no choice but to defer.

The three quickly left to start making arrangements for the upcoming auction and the defense of the Red Fire Mine, working to ensure everything would go smoothly.

Qian Zhenqian and Li Wan Feng then flew up to take a quick aerial inspection.

Kent had his own tasks to attend to. He needed to find a suitable location for the auction and set it up. Since they were in the wilderness, things were kept simple.

Throughout the day, the Tianhuo Kylin made twelve trips back and forth, transporting about 12 billion pounds of Red Fire Ore. However, it seemed that to encourage Kent to focus more on evolving her two offspring, she had gone the extra mile to bring out the mid-grade Red Fire Ore that had been set aside earlier, totaling around 12 million pounds, kept separate from the lower-grade ore.

As for the high-grade ore, there wasn't a single piece. Clearly, the Tianhuo Kylin needed those herself.

Kent thanked her and watched as the Red Yuanzi entered the Mowling Secret Realm. He was thinking that since the Tianhuo Kylin had been so generous, he couldn't just follow the agreement strictly; he needed to do something extra to show his appreciation.

Once all the Red Fire Ore was moved to the open space, it took up a large area. However, with only a thousand mercenaries from the three groups to guard it, there were not enough people. Fortunately, after careful arrangement, they managed to secure the area.

Kent felt uneasy about the mid-grade ore's value, so he decided to stay nearby in a tent, with his three beasts guarding the perimeter.

"Once I sell you off, I'll be done with it," Kent muttered.

Since the Tianhuo Kylin had so willingly delivered all the Red Fire Ore, Kent could speed up his own work. His goal was to sell everything within a few days and leave quickly, rather than spending more time here.

"Boss, Long Buyu has arrived," A Long reported.

It was already dark, and Kent hadn't expected Long Buyu to come that night. His eagerness seemed a little overdone. However, Kent wasn't concerned with the details. As long as they did their job well, he didn't care about the methods they used.

"Alright, I'll meet him now."

Kent climbed out of the tent and glanced at the nearby Simmons bed, his teeth clenched.

The bed was Zhao Mengxi's, of course. She was particular about her comfort and didn't want to suffer while out here.

Gu Lingling, naturally, was also snuggled up with Zhao Mengxi, happily sleeping on the bed.