The Aurij Mountain Range to the north of Okland was close to the Land of Ice and Fire, with towering mountains and precipitous ridges stretching for thousands of kilometers. In the middle of the 3rd Dynasty, the Empire opened a path to Gaugass, and this place became an uninhabited wilderness. This place nurtured countless precious ores and herbs, but it was also home to countless dangerous magic beasts. For thousands of years, the Aurij Mountain Range had always been a paradise for mercenary groups.
There were over a hundred large and small mercenary groups in Okland, and at least half of them made a living in the Aurij Mountain Range. The more powerful the mercenary group, the deeper they could go into the depths of the Aurij Mountain Range, hunting even more powerful magic beasts and harvesting even more precious materials.
The Red Dragon Mercenary Group was undoubtedly one of the best.
As the 3rd ranked mercenary group in Okland, the Red Dragon Mercenary Group had a history of three hundred years and had gone through four leaders, each one of whom was a famous powerhouse. In those three hundred years, the Red Dragon Mercenary Group had established its current position.
Now, the Red Dragon Mercenary Group's position in Okland was second only to the Heaven Enlightening Mercenary Group and the Temple Knights Mercenary Group. Their mission completion rate was as high as 80%, and if not for the death of their leader two years ago, the Red Dragon Mercenary Group might have even had the opportunity to replace the Heaven Enlightening Mercenary Group and ascend to the throne of Okland's 2nd Mercenary Group.
Okland's Mercenary Guild mission announcement had a special column with an asterisk. The asterisk signified a high difficulty and high reward.
These missions with high reward were usually reserved for the Three Great Mercenary Groups.
For example, hunting a level 30 magic beast, destroying a force on the level of the Viper Nest, seizing control of a small city, and so on.
Only the Three Great Mercenary Groups had the ability to complete these kinds of missions.
But today, the Red Dragon Mercenary Group's mission didn't have an asterisk.
Because this mission came from the Watson Family.
One of Okland's two Great Families, a colossus on par with the Merlin Family. Even the Red Dragon Mercenary Group had to lower their heads in front of the Watson Family.
This time, the one who hired the Red Dragon Mercenary Group was Stan Watson, the most outstanding genius of the Watson Family's younger generation, a 30-year-old High Mage. The purpose of hiring the Red Dragon Mercenary Group was to have them protect him as he entered the depths of the Aurij Mountain Range.
As for why Stan Watson wanted to enter the depths of the Aurij Mountain Range, that wasn't something the Red Dragon Mercenary Group should know.
To be honest, the Red Dragon Mercenary Group was no stranger to the depths of the Aurij Mountains.
It was just that in the past, he had always hunted magical beasts or gathered resources there.
This was the first time the Red Dragon Mercenaries had received a mission to protect a single person. To be cautious, the Red Dragon Mercenaries sent a powerful group of fifty, led by a Vice Leader, to escort Stan Watson into the depths of the Aurij Mountain Range.
The strength of this fifty-man team could be said to be the strongest in the entire Red Dragon Mercenary Group. More than half of the missions marked with asterisks had been carried out by this fifty-man team. They could be said to be veterans of a hundred battles. On the way, they had been crushed. They had been attacked a dozen times by magic beasts, which would have been enough for an ordinary mercenary group to be wiped out. But under the protection of the Red Dragon Mercenary Group, Stan Watson didn't even have the opportunity to make a move.
From beginning to end, the Red Dragon Mercenary Group's 50-man team was like a bulldozer, crushing everything from the foot of the mountain to the middle of the mountain, and then from the middle of the mountain to the top of the mountain …
"Alright, it's here." After annihilating another batch of magical beasts, the party of fifty rested at the bottom of a cliff. A young mage wearing a white robe walked out from behind, holding a yellowed parchment map in his hand. After carefully inspecting the bottom of the cliff, a hint of joy appeared on his face.
"Young Master Stan, please be careful. This is one of the most dangerous areas of the Aurij Mountains. You have already left the team's protection, so if something happens, our Red Dragon Mercenary Group won't be able to explain it."
The one who spoke was a female warrior dressed in silver armor. She looked to be in her twenties, and even the heavy armor could not hide her graceful figure. She had a head full of golden hair that shone like gold under the setting sun. She had a fair face and delicate facial features. She was a beauty who could really get a high score in a game!
But …
Anyone with the slightest understanding of the Red Dragon Mercenary Group would know that this wasn't just a beauty.
Anna Achilles was one of Okland's three great mercenary groups, the first vice leader of the Red Dragon Mercenary Group. She was a 24-year-old Expert Swordsman with the bloodline of the War God flowing in her body. Three years ago, she defeated the famous Expert Swordsman Lawson as a 9th Rank Great Swordsman and became famous after that battle.
Now, Anna Achilles had already become an Expert Swordsman and was the first vice leader of the Red Dragon Mercenary Group. Her position was only below Red Dragon Leo.
If it wasn't for the special status of the person she was escorting, Anna Achilles wouldn't have appeared in a mission of this level.
"Alright, Captain Hannah, your mission is complete since you've brought me here …" The white-robed young mage waved his hand, "As for how to ensure my own safety, I don't need you to remind me. The purpose of your Red Dragon Mercenary Group is to ensure that I don't waste my mana too early. As for the rest, you don't need to worry about it …"
"Young Master Stan …" Anna Achilles opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, she shook her head and didn't say anything.
"No need to say anything else, Leader Anna, take your people and leave. You had best remember my identity. I'm Okland's only 8th Rank High Mage under the age of 35. Only a Sword Saint would be qualified to worry about my safety …"
"You …" This sentence was a bit hurtful. Even as a mercenary, Anna Achilles couldn't help getting angry.
But …
Before Hannah and Achilles could finish their sentence, a voice suddenly came from the bushes.
"Stan Watson?"
"Who are you!" Before Stan could say anything, the fifty first-rate mercenaries behind him already pulled out their weapons. As the leader, Anna Achilles instantly ignited her Aura to its peak, and her fluttering blonde hair and heavy armor were instantly covered in a layer of hazy cyan mist.
Anna Achilles was a disciple of the Storm Sword Saint, Talos.
Taros had fought hundreds of battles in his life and had never tasted defeat. He had relied on the famous Firmament Fighting Energy. Although Taros had many disciples, only three or four of them had truly mastered the Firmament Fighting Energy, and Anna Achilles was one of them.
At this moment, Anna Achilles had used her most powerful Sky Dou Qi when a single voice was transmitted from the thicket. This was because Anna Achilles had sensed a trace of danger from that voice …
She couldn't clearly explain why …
She only felt that the owner of that voice had a kind of terrifying magic. Although the person hadn't come out of the thicket yet, it was enough to make a seasoned mercenary like Anna Achilles feel a bone-chilling chill.
"Come out! Why are you sneaking around!" Anna Achilles, who was burning with Sky Aura, held her sword and remained vigilant while coldly snorting at the distant thicket.
"Haha …" As Anna Achilles coldly snorted, a young mage in his twenties slowly walked out of the thicket. He was thin and had a pale face. He looked refined, and his footsteps were very light, as if he was afraid of stepping on an ant.
The young mage was holding a magic staff with a huge gem embedded at the top. Anna Achilles carefully looked at it and discovered that it was actually an Elemental Amber!
This discovery made Hannah and Achilles' hearts clench.
A fist-sized Elemental Amber was rare even in Okland. Under normal circumstances, it would only appear in the hands of geniuses like Stan Watson, who had been nurtured by his family with all their resources.
But now, a young mage holding such a magic staff had appeared.
"Okay, stand there and don't move. Immediately tell me your purpose, or the Red Dragon Mercenary Group will treat you as an intruder!" The appearance of that Elemental Gem made Anna Achilles even more vigilant.
"If I don't come closer, how can I tell you my purpose …" The young mage acted as if he hadn't heard anything and calmly walked towards Stan Watson. "In fact, I don't have any malicious intent …"
"Oh?" Anna Achilles tightened her grip on her longsword, not relaxing because of the other side's answer.
"Whether you have malicious intent or not, since you came, don't think of leaving …" But before Anna Achilles could give the order to attack, Stan Watson coldly snorted.
At the same time, a quick incantation came out of Stan Watson's mouth.
The power of an 8th Rank High Mage was truly extraordinary. Just as the incantation echoed, raging flames spread in the surroundings. That was a Flame Prison. The raging flames turned into chains that instantly sealed the young mage's retreat.
"I really don't have any malicious intent …" The young mage didn't seem to see anything. He was in the center of the Flame Prison, scratching his nose while raising his magic staff. "I only want to kill Stan Watson, it has nothing to do with the rest of you …"
"Haha, what a joke!" Hearing this, Stan Watson laughed out of anger.
As the most outstanding genius of the Watson Family's younger generation, Stan Watson had never met his match. Let alone youths of the same age, even those famous Archmages of the Watson Family wouldn't dare to say that they wanted to kill Stan Watson.
Not to mention that the one saying this was only a young mage in his twenties.
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