Kaines and Randall sat side by side at the head of the mercenary guild's meeting hall.

Randall's face was full of anger, while Kaines wore a mysterious smile.

Evelyn, Tony, Angus, and the elf Elaya sat on both sides, with only Elaya wearing a faint smile. Evelyn had no expression, while Tony and Angus kept their heads down.

Arthur stood behind Evelyn, using her body as cover. Like a little mouse, his eyes darted back and forth among the others.

"Tony, did you provoke this again?" Randall's anger was first directed at Tony.

"It was just a verbal conflict between me and Crystid. The real troublemaker was this kid, Arthur."

Faced with Randall's anger, Tony, who previously claimed that everything was Arthur's fault, immediately shifted the blame.

Evelyn glared fiercely at Tony, and even Angus intentionally moved his chair away from him, keeping his distance.

Randall sneered, "Don't think I don't know what happened. Without you, would Crystid have clashed with a child? Your commission from the last mission is halved, and you're not allowed to leave the mercenary guild for a month."

Tony jumped up from his chair, crying out, "This is unfair! I really didn't start it, Angus can vouch for me!"

"I was already drunk at the time, I didn't know anything," Angus shrugged.

"Angus, you traitor! You're not loyal at all!" Tony was about to lunge at Angus, but when he saw Randall's fierce gaze, he reluctantly backed off.

"Arthur, come forward." Randall's next burst of anger was aimed at Arthur. "I really underestimated you! How dare you challenge Crystid? If you want to die, there are many ways, but don't involve the mercenary guild! Remember, you're not a member of the guild, I can kick you out anytime!"

Arthur remained silent with his head bowed.

"I'll deduct three months' pay from you, and you're not allowed to leave headquarters without my permission for three months. Now get out." Randall waved impatiently at Arthur, as if he couldn't stand to look at him for another minute.

Is that it? Only three silver coins for three months' pay for that kid? Is this punishment or protection? Everyone in the room looked at Randall with surprise.

"Thank you, Uncle Randall." Arthur bowed deeply and quickly ran out.

Kaines watched Arthur's departure with a hint of a smile. "Old friend, do you now recognize that he is the greatest gain of my journey?"

"Boss, can you not deduct my pay this time?" Tony approached with a playful smile.

"Get lost!" Both Kaines and Randall shouted simultaneously.

...

From that day on, Arthur officially stayed in the Blue Siren Mercenary Guild, and a fascinating world of mercenaries slowly opened its doors to him.

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The Beland Continent was never a peaceful land; various races coexisted, wars large and small were incessant; monsters roamed the mountains and wilderness, becoming forbidden zones for intelligent beings; bandit groups rampaged in the countryside, with robbery and murder occurring frequently.

The strength of the various racial armies could only protect the larger towns. As a result, mercenary guilds, as the primary armed force outside the military, became highly sought after. As long as the appropriate remuneration was provided, mercenary guilds accepted various tasks, from escorting and guarding to searching and hunting, and even participated in wars commissioned by kingdoms during times of conflict.

However, mercenaries were not a group that acted without principles or morals for the sake of profit. They had their own honor and code of conduct, with protection, trust, and courage being the three major qualities esteemed by mercenaries.

Protection was the duty of mercenaries. Once they accepted a mission, they were obligated to protect the safety of their employer and goods even at the cost of their lives.

Trust was the lifeblood of mercenaries. They must trust their teammates; even if they die in battle, they must shield their comrades from attacks from behind.

Courage was the backbone of mercenaries. This was a high-risk profession where lives were exchanged for rewards, and cowards could never become excellent mercenaries.

The mercenary guilds of the Beland Continent were graded from the lowest G-grade to the highest S-grade, with rumors of the existence of X-grade god-level mercenary guilds above the super-grade S-level. Corresponding to the grades of the guilds, mercenaries were also graded from G to S-level, with legends of X-grade god-level mercenaries who accepted commissions from gods, becoming the warriors of gods!

As a B-grade mercenary guild, the Blue Siren had only over a hundred mercenaries, the fewest among the three major mercenary guilds in the city of Huareus. However, the strength of the Blue Siren was the strongest among the three guilds. While first and second level warriors were the main force in most of Huareus's mercenary guilds, third level warriors were the minimum standard for membership in the Blue Siren.

Captain Kaines was also one of the only two eight-level battlemasters in the city of Huareus. The other was General Kunto, the commander of the stationed troops in the city. However, he rarely got involved in disputes outside of military affairs. This was the main reason why Crystid, despite suffering such humiliation, dared not come to provoke him.

The two vice-captains of the Blue Siren were Evelyn and Randall. Evelyn was a sixth-level fire mage. Randall was a warrior, but due to the loss of one arm, his level could no longer be used to measure his strength.

Thief Tony, hunter Angus, and archer Elaya were the core of the mercenary guild, all of them being fifth-level warriors. They took turns leading teams for ordinary tasks.

Vice-captain Randall was a special figure in the mercenary guild. Mercenaries sometimes privately discussed that Randall was actually the leader of the Blue Siren, because besides accepting and assigning tasks, he was in charge of everything from finances to logistics. His irritable temper made him untouchable within the mercenary guild; even Captain Kaines and Randall had to use a conciliatory tone when communicating.

As Randall's assistant, Arthur discovered over time that despite Randall's seemingly irritable temperament, he was actually a very good person.

Randall never treated Arthur as a mere servant. He even did chores like cleaning the room himself. Initially, he had Arthur teach him how to read, then gradually involved him in tasks like organizing the warehouse.

Arthur was a smart kid who learned quickly from Randall's teachings. Moreover, he cherished the opportunity to stay in the mercenary guild, actively helping Randall and other mercenaries with various tasks.

Before Randall got up, the water for washing his face was already prepared in the hall. When Randall opened the door, the entire courtyard had already been cleaned spotlessly. After a month, Arthur could quickly and accurately find every item in the guild's cluttered warehouse; two months later, Randall found himself calling Arthur more and more often; three months later, as soon as Randall spoke, Arthur would already have the item he wanted in front of him.

Even the mercenaries gradually noticed the changes in the guild. First, Randall became less irritable, and sometimes even had a smile on his chubby face; second, all weapons and armor were always clean and shiny, as if they were new. For some trivial matters in the guild, just ask that kid named Arthur, and he would always find a solution.

Soon, everyone in the mercenary guild began to like this kid, and Arthur's good days were just beginning...