Free things were often the most expensive. A simple beginning often meant trouble in the future. Gao Qi had never experienced this before, but he knew that when signing a contract, he should at least read the terms and conditions clearly.
"Please wait a moment, Mr. Barak. I want to know what obligations I have to bear after becoming a Shadowhunter. What kind of responsibilities do I have? And what kind of rights do I have?"
John said seriously, "Since you asked, I'll give you a brief introduction. Your only obligation as a Shadowhunter is to never disclose any information about your missions to the outside world. Simply put, most of the missions we issue in secret are top secret, and the consequences of leaking them are very serious."
"That's very fair. Anything else?"
"No, there's only this one requirement. The rights you have are that when you carry out missions, the Bounty Hunter Guild must provide you with as much help as possible. Of course, there's a prerequisite for all of this, and that's to pay."
Gao Qi was puzzled. "Pay?"
"Of course you have to pay. The Bounty Hunter Guild is not a charity organization. We and the guild are more like partners than subordinates. This means that the guild has no binding power over you, and you can't get the guild's help for free."
"Then how do we settle the bounty?"
"Customers have to issue missions through the guild. After a bounty hunter accepts the mission, the issuer has to pay all the bounty to the guild. After the bounty hunter completes the mission, the guild will pay the bounty to the bounty hunter in one go. You can choose to receive gold, or you can choose to save it under your name and withdraw it at any time."
Gao Qi thought for a moment and smiled. "It's very similar to the third-party payment system before the Cataclysm."
"It's the same. The Bounty Hunter Guild is an information distribution platform and a third-party payment platform. That's all."
After saying that, John raised a finger and said, "The only link between us and the guild is money. To be exact, it's gold, because gold is the only currency available now. The guild will deduct at least 20% of the bounty from your missions, and at most 50%. That's the standard fee."
Gao Qi took a deep breath. "50%? The commission is so high. "
"It's not that high. Twenty percent is the base fee, while the other fifty percent is the additional services provided by the Guild, such as transportation fees. You should know that the safest and fastest method of transportation right now is the airship. However, there are very few airships available, so transportation fees are very expensive. In addition, the Guild can provide weapons, medical assistance, and funeral matters. All the fees will be clearly stated, so we won't overcharge you."
Gao Qi couldn't help but ask, "Funeral matters?"
"Of course, there's an extra charge."
"I mean, the guild is even responsible for collecting corpses?"
John smiled and nodded. "Yes. Once again, there is an additional charge. Under normal circumstances, it is paid in advance."
Gao Qi sighed and said, "What if I use the guild's service but fail to complete the quest? What should I do?"
"Guilds usually don't charge dead people."
After a long silence, Gao Qi said helplessly, "I mean, what if I accept a quest, but I don't have the money to pay for the transportation fees? What should I do?"
John smiled and said, "Generally speaking, the Guild will only issue quests to people who have the ability to complete them. In other words, as long as you receive the quest information, it means that the Guild is willing to take the risk. The Guild can send you to the place you want to go first, and then deduct from your bounty after you complete the quest. Well, many bounty hunters are not in a good financial situation, so this situation is very common."
"But if I use the Guild's service and fail to complete the quest, and I don't die, or I give up on the quest, what should I do?"
"Of course, this kind of situation also exists. In this case, the bounty hunter only needs to pay the Guild."
"Are there any punishment measures?"
"There are no punishment measures, but if the bounty hunter doesn't have enough money to pay the Guild's service fee, then the problem is more serious. The usual solution is to use the bounty from the next quest to pay the Guild's service fee."
Gao Qi sighed and said, "Sounds fair. It's quite humane."
John said with a serious face, "I strongly advise you not to do that. It's a very strong and sincere suggestion, because when you owe money to the guild, you have to pay the price of your freedom. That is, your freedom will be restricted by the guild until the debt is paid off."
Gao Qi furrowed his brows and said, "That's not so humane."
John said with an apologetic face, "Yes, but because there are too many cases of bounty hunters running away, the Guild has no choice but to use this method to ensure that the Guild's interests are not damaged."
Gao Qi sighed and said in a relaxed manner, "No problem."
John nodded and said, "Very good. Then let's go through the procedures."
"No, I refuse. I've thought about it, and I don't want to become a Shadow Hunter."
John was stunned. He looked at Gao Qi and asked, "Why?"
"Because I think the risk is too great. Do I look like I have money now? Obviously, I don't have money, so I can't pay any fees. So if I accept a mission and don't complete it, I'll either die or become a slave of the Guild. Deducting the fees from the next mission's bounty sounds good, but if the Guild assigns me a mission that will definitely kill me, how can I not accept it? "
After asking, Gao Qi shrugged and said, "So the rules seem fair, but if you think about it carefully, you'll know that the risk is great. Moreover, all the risk will be transferred to me. If that's the case, why should I take the risk?"
John frowned and said, "But you have the freedom to not accept a mission. If you feel that you can't complete it, then don't accept a mission."
Gao Qi curled his lips and said, "Forget it. First of all, I don't have the same level of information as the Guild. I only look at the simple mission requirements and introduction. How can I know everything? What if the mission looks simple but is actually very difficult? I'll go back on my word and have to pay. If I fail, I'll have to pay. If I die, I won't have to pay, but I don't want to die. "
John seemed to be in a difficult position. Then he looked at Gao Qi with a complicated expression.
Gao Qi picked up the coffee and took a sip. After drinking it, he remembered that this was the first time he had drunk coffee in his life.
It was very bitter and disgusting, so Gao Qi put down the coffee cup without batting an eyelid.
Gao Qi knew that because John said that he was a precious talent. Since he was a precious talent, he had to be treated as a talent. Otherwise, what John said would be empty words and lies.
After thinking about it again and again, John finally said in a deep voice, "My identity is very complicated. I'm the boss of the Sky Gun Workshop, a bounty hunter, and a headhunter. I'm responsible for finding new members with potential and strength for the Bounty Hunter Guild. Therefore, I can take money from the guild when I recruit you. The better your performance, the more money I'll take."
Gao Qi smiled and said, "I thought you were a senior member of the guild."
John shook his head and said calmly, "I'm not a member of the guild. I'm just recruiting you for a business. Since this is a business, I'm willing to bear a certain amount of risk. How about this, I'll guarantee the risk of your first mission. If you fail the first mission, I'll pay the guild for you. Please believe me, if I didn't think highly of your potential, I wouldn't have made such a decision."
Gao Qi thought for a moment, then he stretched out three fingers and said, "Three times!"
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