“Three-Star Guild!?”
Upon hearing Ye Chui casually say, “We are the Three-Star Guild,” the blond handsome man was utterly stunned. Thinking back to his earlier words, his face flushed with embarrassment. The drunken swordsman who had previously spoken with Ye Chui and Debbie stood nearby, watching the commotion, his body stiffening.
The maid seemed startled. The Three-Star Guild held considerable status in Fengyan City, and she dared not offend them. Her expression turned solemn as she took the scroll Ye Chui handed her. This contract scroll, used by mercenary guilds, was specially treated to prevent tampering, and every guild mission was recorded, giving it great authority.
(For secret missions requiring confidentiality, special magical ink was used, visible only to those of a certain rank within the mercenary guild.)
The maid carefully examined the information on the contract scroll, glancing at it, then at Ye Chui and Debbie, then back at the scroll, her composure faltering.
“May I ask, is Mr. Ye Chui, the guild leader (she pronounced the name awkwardly)…” she asked, her voice trembling slightly.
“Oh, that’s me,” Ye Chui replied with a smile.
“And Vice-Leader Debbie Anduin…”
“That’s me,” Debbie said proudly, puffing out her chest. “Our other member isn’t here, but the two of us should be enough to handle the registration, right?”
“Your guild only has three members?” The maid, looking at the member information on the scroll, asked in disbelief.
A Three-Star Guild was a massive entity, typically with dozens or even hundreds of members. Yet this Three-Star Guild had only three people? That was the bare minimum to form a guild! And it seemed they had only been established for a month or two. How could this be possible?
“Yes, is there a problem?” Debbie asked, wide-eyed.
“No, no, it’s just…” The maid was at a loss for words, unsure how to express her astonishment.
The contract scroll was undoubtedly authentic, but that authenticity was the biggest issue. Anyone would think something was amiss. And the guild’s name, “Casual Name Magic Guild…” Really, could it be any more casual? It didn’t sound like a proper guild at all!
“You’re a Three-Star Guild!?” The blond man finally snapped out of his daze, his tone icy. “That’s impossible. And you’re the guild leader?” His eyes fixed on the deceptively plain white-covered magic book in Ye Chui’s hand. “A young man with a white-covered magic book, the leader of a Three-Star Guild? There must be something wrong here!”
“What’s the problem?” Ye Chui shot the blond man an annoyed glance.
“The mercenary guild’s contract scroll can’t be faked, but who knows what trickery you used to become a Three-Star Guild. I don’t believe you have the ability!” The blond man suddenly smirked coldly, as if realizing something. “You’re just using this despicable trick to get an invitation, aren’t you?”
“Invitation? What invitation?” Ye Chui paused, looking at the maid behind the counter.
Uncertain of Ye Chui’s true standing, the maid hurriedly answered respectfully, “It’s the invitation to the wedding of Lord Windsor’s daughter, Miss Windsor, and the Fourth Prince. Only those of high prestige can attend. Apart from the city’s noble families, only magic guilds and mercenary groups of Three-Star rank or above qualify for an invitation. Two-Star groups are selected from the best, and all invitations have been distributed except for one, kept at the mercenary guild. Several Two-Star guilds and mercenary groups are competing for it.”
Hearing this, Ye Chui and Debbie exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with excitement. Their goal was to infiltrate the wedding, and this invitation was practically made for them!
Debbie immediately reached out to the maid. “That’s perfect. We’re a Three-Star Guild. Since there’s one invitation left, give it to us!”
“Well…” The maid looked troubled, her eyes instinctively flicking to the blond man.
“The invitation is of immense importance. Our guilds and mercenary groups have done everything to secure the last one. An outsider guild like yours has no right to snatch it!” the blond man said angrily, convinced that Ye Chui and Debbie had shamelessly manipulated their guild to Three-Star status to sneak into the wedding. Though unlikely under the mercenary guild’s strict contract procedures, it wasn’t impossible.
Attending the lord’s daughter’s wedding was a mark of status, highly desirable for anyone seeking recognition.
“It’s just a wedding. Who cares that much? We didn’t plan to compete for the last invitation. Since we’re a Three-Star Guild, just have the lord prepare another one,” Debbie said, irritated, to the blond man. She turned to the maid. “The wedding is still a month away. Your guild can contact the lord, right?”
“Well… the lord’s daughter’s wedding is a grand event. The guest list was finalized long ago, with a fixed number of invitations. They can’t issue another,” the maid said, shaking her head awkwardly.
“Then there’s nothing we can do,” Ye Chui said regretfully. He glanced at the blond man, his tone resolute. “The last invitation, we want it!”
“You… you think we’ll give up that invitation so easily?” The blond man grew furious, even summoning his magic book, a blue-covered one, far superior to Ye Chui’s white-covered book.
The crowd in the mercenary guild hall gathered, whispering and watching the scene unfold. From their expressions, it was clear most thought Ye Chui and Debbie were frauds. The drunken swordsman eagerly recounted the situation to those unaware.
Just as Ye Chui, exasperated, prepared to teach the blond man a lesson, a stern cough echoed through the hall. Everyone turned to see a middle-aged man with a long beard emerge from behind the counter. “What’s going on? This is the mercenary guild, not a place for you to cause a ruckus!”
“Chairman,” the maid said respectfully to the man.
Mercenary guilds existed across the continent, each managed by a chairman responsible for local operations.
The maid quickly explained the situation to the chairman.
“Three-Star Guild!?” The chairman looked shocked, but after eyeing Ye Chui’s white-covered magic book and Debbie’s rustic attire, he, like the others, showed a disdainful expression and snorted. “A magic guild from Stan Town, hmph. It seems there are serious issues with the mercenary guild’s regulations…”
He had heard of the Dark Mage and Apostle incident, but such events were rare and, logically, beyond the capabilities of a small town’s mage or swordsman. So, he dismissed it. Learning that Ye Chui and Debbie were key figures in that incident only strengthened his suspicion that something was off. He resolved to investigate thoroughly later.
“You want the last invitation?” the chairman said with a mocking smile, pulling a red invitation bearing Lord Kevin’s crest from his pocket.
“Yes,” Ye Chui nodded.
“By rights, I should give it to you, but…” the chairman’s face held a trace of mockery, “the other Two-Star guilds and mercenary groups won’t agree. I had already arranged to discuss the invitation’s ownership tomorrow at the Coldstone Guild. You can join the competition. Whether you have the ability to claim it depends on your skill.”
He paused, his tone heavier. “If you can handle an Apostle, dealing with other Two-Star guilds and mercenary groups should be no problem, right?”
“We’d love to see the strength of a Three-Star Guild leader,” the blond man said with a hint of sarcasm.
Ye Chui scanned the circle of dismissive faces, exchanged a look with Debbie, and sighed. “If that’s the case, fine…”
For an outsider magic guild to establish authority here, it seemed they had to do something drastic.
Well, he wouldn’t hold back.
Tomorrow, how convenient. It just happened to be Saturday…
