If I were to speak candidly, he’d just pull out another different agreement.
"So? Satisfied with this contract?" The final contract was placed in front of Andrew.
"Honestly, not very satisfied." Though that’s what Andrew said, he still signed it.
While it wasn’t exactly ideal, it was at least better than the previous situation. Plus, not everyone is that easy to deceive or willing to overlook Andrew’s past. Based on that, Andrew didn’t bother to argue further.
"Wishing us a pleasant collaboration. Next, as priority development candidates, we’ll arrange suitable missions for your Blood Elf and Dragon Mercenary Group. Of course, you can choose them as well. This is all laid out in the contract. Operations can start later this afternoon."
Leaving the adventurer guild, Andrew went straight home to show Christina the contract he brought back.
Christina, who was busy cooking, cheered excitedly.
"How did you pull this off!"
"How did I pull it off? I don’t even know. Today, their boss suddenly grabbed my leg, begging me to sign the contract."
"Seems to be that name, can’t quite remember."
Christina’s eyes practically sparkled as she stared at Andrew.
From now on, they’d be able to walk into the adventurer hall openly and boldly, without needing to be secretive anymore. Though there was still a minor issue to deal with. But that’s just a trivial matter.
After lunch, Andrew took Christina to the adventurer guild. First stop: the adventurer service center.
First, they dissolved the Rat and Dragon Mercenary Group, then removed one Blood Elf and Dragon Mercenary Group member, added Christina’s name, and finally handed over the position of Mercenary Corps Commander to Christina.
After all, Andrew’s identity was special; keeping a low profile was best. As for the commander title, let Christina have it. As long as she listens, what difference does it make if he’s the actual commander?
"I think Mr. Duru should still be the commander. After all, your contribution to the mercenary group is greater."
"Did you forget? I’m here to help you. Besides, if I become commander, how would you ever fulfill your dream of being a great Mercenary Corps Commander?"
"But I don’t necessarily need to be a great Mercenary Corps Commander. Being a great mercenary would work too. I think I might not be very suited to being a commander."
"Shh." Andrew gazed at Christina with an indulgent look and said softly, "A dream that can be changed isn’t a real dream. You don’t know now, but you can learn. I’m willing to teach you."
Christina felt herself melting under the warmth of that gaze and nodded earnestly, "I’ll work hard. No matter what, I’ll become a great Mercenary Corps Commander! I won’t let you down!"
Heh, after dealing with that wretched Bi’an the Sixth goblin and then having to deal with this silly dragon, Andrew honestly felt quite relaxed.
Thanks to having an insider, the procedures went relatively smoothly. Though the girl helping them with the paperwork was glaring resentfully at Christina the whole time. Left with no choice, Andrew threw her a couple of air kisses, just to keep her calm.
"What about Little Andy, Little Lynn, Little Jeff, and Little Henry?" Christina asked in wide-eyed confusion.
"You still want to keep them? They’re just a bunch of rats."
"But they’re my companions too."
"Uh..." Left with no other option, Andrew replied, "Then keep them as pets. But don’t register them in the mercenary group. A group with a couple of rats—if the adventurer guild starts sending people over for inspections, that could get truly troublesome."
Christina hesitated but nodded, "Alright."
While Christina was mulling over her rats, Andrew pondered about his "fingers." His index finger was already out of the group. If his ultimate goal were to have five actual members, then keeping the thumb, he’d still need the middle finger, ring finger, and pinky.
Should he start recruiting members now?
After some thought, Andrew muttered to himself, "Based on the classic adventurer five-person formation, we’ll need a dwarf or beastman heavy-armored vanguard who could serve as bait, an elf or human healer, an elf archer for assassination, a covert human thief for intel, disguise, and reconnaissance, and a mage specializing in area damage."
He hadn’t even finished speaking when Andrew spotted a complete team standing not far from them.
A dwarf vanguard, a human healer, an elf archer, a human thief, and an elf mage.
Christina froze at the sight of the five, and the five stared back at Andrew and Christina in astonishment.
"Forget it. Let’s leave it to fate. We’ll wait for the right people to come along." With that thought, Andrew turned and walked away with Christina.
Christina could probably handle the vanguard role, and she’d definitely be tougher than any dwarf. The only issue was she might scare off enemies just by showing up, rendering her useless as bait. Andrew could manage as the elf archer, though archery wasn’t really his strong suit—but elves aren’t usually bad with bows. He could also manage as the thief, though his appearance was far too conspicuous—being an elf doesn’t help. Regarding the mage role for area damage, both Andrew and Christina could cover that. The only missing role was healer, which Christina might know something about.
Even if she didn’t, it wouldn’t be a problem. Any adversary capable of forcing the Blood Elf and Dragon Mercenary Group into needing a healer would be a rare encounter. They’d just avoid missions that were too difficult.