Their happiness? Are mercenaries in this world at such high demand, or is it that the situation in Qingji City has reached such a dire state? Du You was somewhat unclear, but he walked in anyway.
Upon getting closer, Du You noticed that while the soldiers of Qingji City appeared numerous, their actual fighting capabilities were quite limited.
Compared to another Outer World infested with Heavenly Disaster Beasts, they were severely lacking. The majority of soldiers here were of level 1, just at the threshold of becoming professionals.
A portion of them even lacked any levels. They were clearly ordinary people. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⚫𝙣𝙚𝙩
Here, a level 2 could serve as the leader of a team, while a level 3 would be equivalent to the commander of a large force. Du You was unsure if this was the case only in Qingji City or if this was the norm for the whole world.
If the entire Outer World was , Du You would have to reassess its true power.
"Please come in, come in. Our Qingji City is small and doesn’t have a Mercenary Association branch to provide task points, but we can compensate you with other means," said a man who looked like an official, bowing slightly and smiling obsequiously.
"It doesn’t matter. I am just looking to explore," responded Du You without saying much. Being new to this world and just starting to interact with its humans, Du You did not want to reveal anything by talking too much.
And Du You’s cold demeanour only made the man act even more humble.
Soon, a sleazy-looking old man surrounded by others approached. He only had one level, but having a level in this city was enough to be considered abnormal.
Du You couldn’t help but sigh. These failures were even worse off than the goblins in the Goblin Forest. At least the leaders of the significant tribes in the Goblin Forest had 6 levels.
No wonder his dashboard had given him the task of eliminating robbers, and in three waves no less. It appeared that the robbers here were truly weak. They were truly impoverished.
As Du You walked into Qingji City, he could sense the deprivation. Many of the civilians were hardly clothed, all of them thin and sallow. Not a single beggar could be seen.
Du You knew it was not because the city was well managed; quite the contrary, there was simply no way for beggars to survive here.
With everyone barely managing to feed themselves, there was no surplus food to give to the beggars.
"Hello, I am the city lord of Qingji City. Are you a mage?"
So this little old man was the city lord. Du You wasn’t sure how he managed to secure the position.
Du You didn’t hide his profession and promptly answered: "I am a spellcaster." Du You had always introduced himself as a spellcaster to outsiders. Even when dealing with the indigenous peoples, Du You remained consistent.
"Spellcaster? What profession is that?" The city lord looked puzzled.
The official who had escorted Du You whispered, "Could it be a specific classification of a mage? I heard that in big cities, they have detailed classifications for every profession. It’s only in small places like us where it doesn’t exist."
The city lord contemplated, then asked, "So can you use magic?"
Du You waved his hand and shot a Magic Missile into the sky, a basic spell he hadn’t used in quite some time.
"It really is magic. It seems you indeed are a noble mage. That is truly wonderful. With your help, we might get through the crisis at hand," the city lord said without any attempt to hide his plight. Was he not afraid that Du You would take advantage of his desperation and raise his price?
However, Du You soon understood; even if he set a high price, there was no way to get it. The city was already impoverished. What good items could they possibly offer? Moreover, Du You was a Professional, and worldly wealth had no-use for him.
"Could you explain the problem you’re facing?" Du You asked directly.
The city lord, with some of the nearby officials occasionally chiming in, explained the situation with no attempt to hide their plight.
As it turns out, Qingji City was just an insignificant city on the fringe of the Divine Flame Empire. This place was so remote that it was unclear whether it could be considered part of the empire’s territory.
Officials of the empire were unwilling to come, and Qingji City only recognized itself as part of the Divine Flame Empire territory in name. Without any officials or soldiers sent by the empire, they had to assemble their own militia. The city lord was also an elected position.
It was truly democratic, Du You mused.
Qingji City had always been self-sufficient. They had some arable land on the top of the cliff, where they could grow some food, just enough to scrape by. They would also organise hunting expeditions to improve their quality of life.
The goblins in the Goblin Forest wouldn’t easily leave the forest, so as long as they did not venture too far into the Goblin Forest, there wasn’t much danger. This desolate and remote place, even without guard soldiers, was also of no interest for invaders.
But this year, the weather had been terrible, the southern parts were experiencing drought, and there had been little rain.
They couldn’t transport water to the top of the cliff, and the only stream was dwindling. Du You noticed that the stream had dried up significantly compared to the size of the surrounding pond. With the water shortage, came food shortage.
But somehow, this year, robbers had suddenly appeared in the area, preventing them from venturing out to buy food. They were now trapped here.
Initially, Qingji City had prepared to fight their way out and break the blockade. But then Du You appeared, offering another glimmer of hope. After all, in the Divine Flame Empire, mages were held in high regard, almost considered mythical, especially in more remote areas like here.
Just by hearing their story, Du You’s spirits fell. This place had nothing, let alone the things he needed, they probably could not even provide the things he did not need.
"Well, I’ll just complete the main task, and then I’ll leave. In the meantime, I’ll try to understand the situation in the Divine Flame Empire." Du You made up his mind not to stay here too long.
In such a poor place, even if tasks were handed out, he probably wouldn’t get much reward. You’re also a border city, Qingji City. Why is your accomplishment so much worse than that of Border City? This is a complete world.
"Alright, tell me about the robbers. I need to know their location." Upon hearing Du You’s words, the previously despairing officials lit up with hope.