Chapter 303.3: Expedition Part 3

Two months later

It was finally the day of the expedition and a massive crowd of people had gathered around the Mercenary Association building.

Thousands of people have signed up to take part in this expedition and it's only after seeing so many people gathered around the building that people started to think that something was off.

There's no way a normal expedition would need thousands of people to participate in it. Right now, they look more like an army that's about to march straight into enemy territory!

The mercenaries began glancing back and forth between the people around them, understanding that this wasn't going to be a simple expedition. No, this was going to be a slaughter with the majority of them being fodder.

Quite a few of the weaker people began feeling uneasy about this whole situation and started leaving the group. Their instincts were telling them that their chances of dying on this mission were extraordinarily high and the risk wasn't worth the reward for them.

The remaining mercenaries watched those leaving in disdain, but deep inside they weren't feeling much better about this whole thing. They only decided to stay because they had confidence in their strength or ability to survive.

As time passed, the air around the Mercenary Association building was filled with anxiety, but most people tried to make conversation with those around them trying to ignore their fears.

Suddenly, simultaneously, every mercenary felt their skins crawl and their hairs stood on ends. A dreadful aura washed over the surrounding area and with how tense everyone was right now, they ended up drawing their weapons and then turning to see where the aura came from.

However, when they saw a little girl in large black robes that were clearly too big for her and a black mask while riding a golden wolf, nobody felt any better despite knowing where the aura came from.

The more experienced people put away their weapons while the people who have just come out of seclusion or are new to the city had no idea what was going on.

"Fuck! The Little Demoness actually showed up! I was hoping that she would have left the city by now or died on her previous missions considering she's been gone for so long!"

"Dammit! Why would the Mercenary Association invite this fucking demon child?! Don't they have eyes!?! Even a two-year-old child could tell that she's bad news!!"

"Umm... Who is that little girl riding the wolf and why does everyone seem so scared of her?"

"Do you really need an explanation or are you just retarded?! You felt her aura, right? You don't get such an aura by being a saint! She also went on a rampage in the city a few months back simply because a few thugs annoyed her and then placed their heads on stakes throughout the city to serve as a reminder to anyone who thinks of messing with her! She's fucking crazy!"

"What the hell?? Such a thing actually happened? Good thing I was cultivating during that time..."

Everyone was talking about Mira as she rode on Rhydian's back toward the Mercenary Association building but she ignored them all.

Unfortunately, it seems a few people didn't get the memo from those around them and felt the need to end their lives prematurely.

"Hey! You think you can just-" One of the men who walked up to her didn't even get to finish his sentence before he ended up with an ice spike in his head and his body turned into an ice sculpture.

Mira didn't spare the man a glance and simply killed him for trying to waste her time which caused anyone who had any sort of thoughts about confronting her to back down.

One can't really blame Mira for this though because she doesn't have much time to turn in her missions before they have to depart for the expedition. Who knows if she'll be able to turn them in after the expedition. The thought of this is putting Mira slightly on edge right now. She's accumulated about 250,000 Contribution Points over the last two months and she'll be damned if those go to waste!

Luckily, she made it to the Mercenary Association just in time, or else she would have been seriously pissed off.

She approached Robin and without saying anything began dumping all of her mission objectives in front of her. Robin gave her a look full of dissatisfaction because in a few hours she'll be going on an expedition with the rest of the Mercenary Association yet here's Mira piling on a bunch of work for her to do right before they leave.

However, it's not like she can express her dissatisfaction because this is her literal job up until they leave.

Nearly an hour later, Mira left the building with a faint yet tired smile on her face. She's worked incredibly hard over the last few months with Rhydian and has barely had any time to just sit down and rest.

That being said, she's going to use this opportunity to its fullest and take a short break while waiting for the Branch Head to announce the start of the expedition.

She found herself a nice spot away from the giant crowd, closed her eyes, and began to take a nap. She wasn't worried about someone hurting her or missing the expedition because Rhydian is more than enough of a deterrent. Even if she isn't, Mira wouldn't allow herself to be attacked or left behind so easily.

A few people looked at her weirdly, but in the end, nobody bothered her.

A few hours went by in a flash when eventually the front door of the Mercenary Association building opened and out came 5 people.

Of those 5 people, the crowd only knew one of them and that person is Robin, but they could feel the overwhelming amount of power radiating off from the other 4. Especially the big guy in the front.

As soon as they left the building, their heads, besides Robin's, immediately shot in Mira's direction. They couldn't help it. Her aura was simply too... dangerous. Their instincts were sending them mixed signals. They could tell that the girl couldn't beat them in a fight, but they still felt like they were staring at death when they looked at Mira.

Feeling a few powerful eyes on her, Mira opened her demonic-red eyes and stared back. Instantly, the five of them were drawn into an illusion of a sea of blood and mountains of dismembered corpses.

A deep frown formed on their faces when they noticed this, but they weren't too affected by this scene. It was still extremely disturbing, but their mentality, willpower, and higher cultivation were more than enough to prevent this scene from affecting them.

The man in front was especially surprised and gave Mira a deep look as if he was trying to figure her out. Unfortunately, he could only sense that she was at the Peak of the Foundation Realm and nothing else.

However, he lost interest almost immediately after seeing how weak she was and instead focused his attention on the rest of the mercenaries. After giving them a good long stare which caused most of them to sweat, he finally opened his mouth.

"Alright, you useless bunch of dog shit! Listen up! I'm the Branch Head of this Mercenary Association Branch location and on this expedition, we are making our way down towards the deepest part of the largest chasm! You lot will serve as cannon fodder to make our lives easier! That's your only job! You kill who we tell you to kill and you loot what we tell you to loot! Naturally, you'll be rewarded for your efforts, but whether or not you die is up to you and your ability to survive! I fully expect most of you cowards to die and if I'm being honest I want that to happen! Less of you means fewer Contribution Points we have to hand out! If you want to survive, then prove me wrong! Alright, let's move out!" The Branch Head announced then began walking away.

However, nobody moved as they were stunned speechless by the man's words. Even Mira felt like there was something wrong with the man's brain. She looked at the expressions of Robin and the 3 other men besides her and could tell that they too didn't expect him to be so blunt.

'That man is dangerous, Mira. Be careful of him.' Suddenly, Elenie's voice rang in Mira's head. The latter nodded to the Phoenix's words as her instincts told her that if the two of them were to fight, she'd die instantly.

'I know. However, it seems that except for a slight amount of intrigue, he doesn't care about me. Well, it's not like I'm complaining since I don't want some idiotic brute constantly breathing down my neck.' Mira inwardly shrugged at Elenei as she hopped on Rhydian's back and told her to follow after him.

The rest of the mercenaries were still stunned by what the man said before they turned enraged, but before they could say anything a heavy pressure descended preventing them from saying anything.

"I know that what the Branch Head said may be unsightly and a bit blunt, but he's not wrong. This mission will be dangerous and the chances of you losing your life are rather high, but the rewards should more than make up for the dangers. If you do your job properly, you could be set for the next decade or so or you might even be able to jump a few Minor Realms. If you're really lucky then you might be able to jump an entire Major Realm! Anyways, you're free to stay, but just know that the missions after this expedition won't be nearly as profitable. We'll go into more details about the expedition when we make it to the chasm." After Robin finished saying that, she too left in the direction that the Branch Head went off in, followed by the 3 other men that were standing near her.

When Mira heard her words from a distance she couldn't help but praise the receptionist at her ability to bullshit. An entire Major Realm? Really? Who was she trying to fool?

At least that's what she thought until she heard the words of the mercenaries after Robin finished her speech.

'Nevermind. She only needs to fool a bunch of brainless apes. She thought to herself.

"Argh! Dammit! To think I almost gave up on such an opportunity! Can I really call myself a cultivator if I don't brave through dangers?!"

"Yeah! He's right! Fortune and misfortune go hand in hand! Who knows? Maybe I'll finally be able to make it to the Nascent Soul Realm!"

"Fuck me! I'm still pissed at that Branch Head guy, but I won't let that brute's words prevent me from reaching my goal! Maybe I'll finally be able to impress Robin through this expedition!"

One after another, the mercenaries formed their own delusional conclusions before following after Robin and the Branch Head.