Chapter 1656: Chapter 1654: Commission from the Kingdom (Listlessly Wagging My Tail and Rolling Around)

"Is it you?"

Looking at the four girls in front of him, Fang Zheng squinted his eyes. Leading the group was a girl with pink hair, looking about twelve or thirteen years old, and beside her stood a female swordsman with short blonde hair, a mage with long red hair, and another... mage?

"What are your names?"

"I’m Mel."

Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s question, the pink-haired girl in the lead spoke up.

"I’m Rena, but people call me ’Red Rena’!"

"I’m Mavis von Austin."

"I’m Berlin, pleased to meet you."

After hearing the girls introduce themselves, Fang Zheng also spoke.

"I’m Fang Zheng, your client for this mission. So it will be you taking on my commission?"

"Y-yes..."

Fang Zheng’s gaze made the adventurers somewhat uneasy, which was understandable given that they still looked like a group of children... Of course, Fang Zheng wouldn’t underestimate their abilities because of this; after all, he had a band of young girls on his side too.

Nevertheless, testing was necessary.

Thinking of this, Fang Zheng smiled faintly, staring at the four in front of him.

Then, the Dragon Might burst forth in an instant.

"Ugh..."

The adventurers’ faces turned pale upon feeling the surge of Dragon Might. Only the girl named Mel remained unfazed, seemingly not reacting at all.

Hmm... That should suffice.

Seeing three of them on the verge of breaking down, Fang Zheng slightly frowned. He hadn’t released his full Dragon Might, yet their resistance to it revealed a fair bit about their abilities. The girl named Mel was relatively impressive, and the other three weren’t bad for their age. Although they couldn’t compare to Megumin and Ais, they weren’t far from the Priestess of the Goddess.

However... their spirits were more fragile than he expected... curious.

Typically, strength correlates with mental resilience.

Take Megumin for instance; her level of delusion is baffling, but her dedication and passion for Burst Magic is incredibly strong.

Ais’s goal to simply become stronger, though lacking a special reason, made her steadfast in her pure persistence.

The Priestess of the Goddess, constantly surrounded by an airhead and an exploding girl, had her mind fortified—naturally so, facing Ais’s enigmatic antics and Megumin’s daily call for Burst Magic without a strong will would’ve broken her already.

Yet, among these four, aside from Mel, the rest were as mentally fragile as hatchlings...

A single capable leading three liabilities? That’s tough.

With this in mind, Fang Zheng cast a look of sympathy at Mel.

"Alright, let’s consider you qualified."

As Fang Zheng spoke, he reined in the Dragon Might. Finally, the three behind Mel sighed in relief, collapsing onto the ground.

"Huh? Huh??"

Only Mel seemed puzzled, glancing back at her three companions, drenched in sweat and slumped on the ground, unsure of what to say.

"Right, let’s discuss the details of the commission now."

With his focus back on Mel, Fang Zheng continued.

"The mission is simple; you will escort a group to Allenfist. Besides ensuring the safety of the convoy along the way, you need to stay awhile upon arrival. During that period, our team will purchase an estate, and your task will be to secure it until I return. Understand that this is a lengthy commission; I’m not certain when I can return, so it may take a month or two. Of course, compensation is as agreed beforehand."

Saying this, Fang Zheng placed a pouch of coins on the table.

"Here are a hundred Gold Coins as a deposit. The remainder will be paid once you’ve completed the mission... if there are no issues, that is."

"N-no problems!"

Upon Fang Zheng’s inquiry, Mel quickly replied, and Fang Zheng nodded before looking at the nearby Priestess of the Goddess.

"Then, any travel arrangements should be coordinated between you and them. This is part of a leader’s duty."

"Understood, Sir Knight."

After a brief discussion, they set out swiftly, leaving the Royal Capital. Fang Zheng remained behind, alone.

It appears this world is slightly lacking in order...

Watching the caravan disappear into the distance, Fang Zheng pondered. Frankly, since entering this world, he felt as though he had stepped into a comic strip. Such strips are known for being exaggerated and illogical, and although this world followed some logic, bizarre chaos often emerged unexpectedly.

But for this world’s inhabitants, such chaos wasn’t a big deal.

Even if a village was obliterated by a Dragon Break Slash, it wasn’t seen as a catastrophe.

In another world, such an event would’ve stirred a massive uproar.

Yet here, people continue their lives post-ranting—business as usual.

Exaggerated, slightly chaotic, yet humans are a resilient species, nothing to fuss over.

After all, this level of chaos equates to the odds of dying not from a car crash but by being hit on the head by a flowerpot falling from the sky.

"Sir Knight!"

At this moment, a voice called out. Fang Zheng turned to see a masked girl standing behind him, hands clasped over her chest, looking somewhat... well, her expression was obscured by the mask, but it resembled a star-struck gaze...

"Hello, how can I help you?"

"Yes, Blue Rose has something important to discuss with you, please follow me."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing the masked girl’s words, Fang Zheng nodded.

"Alright."

Thus, led by the masked girl, Fang Zheng arrived at a nearby tavern where he met the female warrior and ninja from before, along with a swordswoman carrying a greatsword.

"Greetings, Sir Knight."

The greatsword-wielding blond girl stood.

"I am Radis, leader of Blue Rose."

"I’m Fang Zheng..."

Fang Zheng said as he extended a hand, shaking Radis’s while pausing briefly at her greatsword.

This young lady, you seem to have potential; want to join the Undead Squad?

Although Fang Zheng thought this, he switched his telepathy to say...

"Why did you seek me out?"

"Here’s the thing."

Radis sat back, continuing to speak.

"The recent appearance of a Vampire and the subsequent emergence of a High-Rank Demon in the Royal Capital has drawn the Royal Family’s concern. As you mentioned, these two creatures might have a common master, leading us to investigate and uncover some findings."

With this, Radis spread out a map.

"Our investigation revealed a new ruin has appeared on this plain recently."

"A new ruin?"

"Indeed, it looks like a tomb, yet no such thing existed in this area before. We suspect this might be the dwelling of those creatures’ master."

"So, you sought me because..."

"Frankly, the Kingdom currently lacks anyone capable of confronting such powerful beings, including us in Blue Rose."

Radis stood, bowing to Fang Zheng.

"Therefore, we hope you can assist us! Rest assured, compensation isn’t an issue; Princess Lana is willing to offer ample rewards..."

"Money doesn’t particularly interest me..."

After a pause upon hearing Radis’s plea, Fang Zheng responded.

"But since I’ve already had a run-in with them, I naturally won’t stand by... Fine, I’ll check out that grand tomb."

"Truly? Do you mean..."

Radis lifted her head in surprise at Fang Zheng’s response, gazing at him.

"Indeed, this commission... I’ll take it."