"You mean to say that you have a way to avoid Madara’s attention?"
The bar owner, after a moment of silence, asked with a tone that clearly showed his mistrust.
Frey hastily nodded. But soon she froze, noticing the skeptical expressions on everyone’s faces. Her heart tightened, and she couldn’t help but clench her sword, as if trying to vent her nervousness through the whitening joints of her fingers.
"Frey is a militia from Buqi. A friend of hers once said that Ridenburg would fall. Before tonight, none of you would have believed it. Su didn’t believe it either, but the facts are right in front of us. I think Frey’s words have some merit." At this moment, Su suddenly spoke up from the side.
Everyone was taken aback, even Frey glanced at the girl with the wheat-colored skin and braided hair, giving her a grateful look.
"I actually have no way to lead you around Madara’s attention." Frey thought for a moment and honestly told the mercenaries present – her opening words made everyone stupefied. "However, I know someone who might have this ability."
"So you’re not sure either?" someone asked.
She immediately saw quite a few people shrug. These mercenaries didn’t really have high hopes for a young girl, they were just treating it as a joke. After all, Frey wasn’t unpleasant – quite the opposite, she was actually a very appealing girl.
"Wait, everyone! I know, as a stranger, asking you to trust me now is quite ridiculous," she held the longsword with both hands in front of her chest, gradually relaxing, her voice becoming bright and clear: "Therefore, I’m merely proposing a possibility –"
She thought for a moment: "It’s like a bet, a gamble, I, I..."
The ponytail girl stammered for a while, unable to find a suitable word. She suddenly felt a bit frustrated – perhaps she shouldn’t have tried to use a way she wasn’t familiar with just to cater to these mercenaries.
"It’s like you open a book, we place bets, right? Then life and death are left to fate." A big mercenary laughed heartily: "Good explanation, hello – I’m Mano. Just for what you said, I’ll place a bet."
He turned around. Instantly, some in the crowd laughed kindly, and someone called out, "Mano, you damned gambler, one day you’ll gamble your life away."
Frey blushed and quickly nodded: "That’s about right. If you still find my words credible, why not take a look and see? I think once you meet my friend, you’ll make your judgment – at least, at least I trust him."
After she finished, the mercenaries fell silent. One has to admit, what Frey said was quite tempting, and with Su’s previous words as a side reference, their hesitation seemed pointless. It was better to follow and see the situation, wasn’t it?
After all, there was nothing to lose, and at worst, they could simply part ways.
But for the moment, no one wanted to take the lead. Seeing the gradually cooling atmosphere, Frey couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious.
Su was the first to step out, looking back at her father. Reto couldn’t help but scratch his head. His daughter’s stance left him no choice but to take a stand. It’s true what they say, daughters’ elbows bend outward – at least bring back a good lad for him.
The bar owner couldn’t help but sigh, while laughter erupted around them.
"Alright," Reto said, "don’t laugh. Since I’m going, you might as well stay and watch. I believe, out of respect for my little daughter, you’ll give her face, right?"
"You’re shameless, Reto."
"Using Miss Su as a shield, huh."
The mercenaries couldn’t help but shout and tease, but their words were in agreement with Reto’s statement. The portly bar owner was utterly unabashed, instead looking quite pleased. Counting the remaining people, there were still over twenty left who were actually interested in Frey’s proposal but couldn’t lower their pride to a young girl.
"So miss, we’re all here now. What are your terms?" Reto asked, arms crossed, turning back.
Mercenaries after all, understood nothing in the world came free. They viewed such costs as a trade, joining if it made sense, and leaving if it didn’t – straightforward and unabashed.