Chapter 119: The Heavenless Mercenary Corps Is Established

"What? I can understand investigating the Tiger Hall for the assassination attempt on you, Boss, but you actually want to form a mercenary group? This..." Niu Wuji stared at Wu Tian, dumbfounded.

"Just forming one for fun. Interested, Niu? What about you, Old Li?" Wu Tian asked with a smile.

"I’ll follow the young master wherever he goes, as long as he doesn't mind," Xiaohui said, sticking out her tongue shyly.

"I’m very happy you’re willing to join," Wu Tian said, patting Xiaohui’s head with a look of genuine gratification.

"I want to join too! It sounds like a lot of fun!" Li Qingqing chimed in, eager to be part of the excitement.

"Since the young master is forming a mercenary group, I will naturally assist with all my strength!" Li Tiedan nodded, then glanced at Niu Wuji.

"Old Li, why are you looking at me? I was just surprised that the boss wanted to form a mercenary group. Since that is what the boss wants, I’m in. I’ll go through fire and water for him!" Niu Wuji said, holding his head high.

"Thank you all for your support. I believe you will be the backbone of my mercenary group in the future! Furthermore, I am aiming for an elite approach. Since you are all elites and my friends or confidants, you are naturally qualified to join. You are all welcome." Wu Tian gave them a thumbs-up.

After speaking, Wu Tian walked over to the service counter.

"Honored guests, how can I help you? Are you here to post a bounty or accept a mission?" a beautiful female staff member asked.

"I have a question. Can you help me find out who posted the bounty mission that the Tiger Hall accepted?"

"My apologies, sir, the Mercenary Alliance cannot disclose information about our clients."

"What about money?" Wu Tian produced a pile of gold, roughly several dozen taels.

The staff member shook her head. "Sir, the Mercenary Alliance has very strict discipline. Even with money, we cannot reveal client information. I am very sorry."

"Very well. It seems I will have to ask the Tiger Hall myself." Wu Tian put the gold away and continued, "Then, I would like to form a mercenary group. That is allowed, isn't it?"

"Of course. The Mercenary Alliance is open to everyone. Anyone is qualified to join, and it is very simple to form a group." The staff member placed a black token on the table.

"This is the Mercenary Alliance's 'Mercenary Token.' It was forged by a grandmaster of arrays and contains a special formation. Once you drip a drop of blood onto it, your identity will be recorded. From then on, only you can use this token. It is connected to our main array; whenever you present it, we can perform all kinds of operations based on it."

"Interesting. These arrays are truly magical." Wu Tian found it quite novel. This array was much like the internet back on Earth, only replacing digital networks with ancient formations. It was truly impressive.

"Sir, are you certain you wish to form a mercenary group?" the staff member asked.

"Yes, I am," Wu Tian nodded.

"Very well. I now need to register your basic information: your name, the group's name, the number of members, and the group emblem."

"My name is Wu Tian. There are five of us. As for the name and the emblem, let me think..." Wu Tian hadn't actually considered these details; he had only focused on forming the group to complete his system quest.

"Young Master, why not call it the 'Wutian Mercenary Group'? 'Wutian' as in 'lawless and unbridled'—it sounds quite good," Xiaohui suggested.

"Lawless and unbridled... very good. Let’s go with the Wutian Mercenary Group!" Wu Tian’s eyes lit up. The decision was made.

"Young Master, I was just suggesting..."

"You suggested perfectly. The name is excellent; we’ll use it!"

"Very well. I have recorded the name into the Alliance's main array. Now, what about the emblem?"

Now that they had a name, the emblem had to complement it, or it would be meaningless. Right, this would work! A spark of inspiration flashed in Wu Tian's mind. "Do you have brush and ink?"

The staff member handed him the supplies. Wu Tian quickly sketched a skull, and beneath it, he drew two crossed black blades. It was the iconic pirate skull from his previous life on Earth, though he modified it—the blades were now shaped like his Black Dragon Blade.

"This is the design. The blades should have two dragons etched into them, and they should look more menacing. Furthermore, the area around the skull should be rendered in blood red to create a sinister, terrifying atmosphere," Wu Tian explained.

"Understood. Based on your description, I am using the array to render the image. Please take a look and see if you are satisfied."

As she spoke, a floating image formed of true energy appeared before them: a terrifying skull with two black dragon blades crossed beneath it, surrounded by a sea of blood red. It looked like a god of death standing amidst a pile of corpses.

"Holy cow! That looks creepy. Boss, if we use this as our emblem, it’ll scare the life out of people!" Even Niu Wuji felt a chill looking at it.

"Perfect. This is exactly what I wanted," Wu Tian said, nodding with satisfaction.

"Very well. I am now entering your information into the main array. The emblem will automatically appear on your Mercenary Token. From now on, all mission records for the Wutian Mercenary Group will be engraved on the token. Whenever you present it, we can access your history. Also, please note that the Alliance takes a small percentage of the bounties from missions accepted through us. I hope you understand."

"I understand. That is perfectly fair."

"Thank you for your understanding. Here is your Mercenary Token. One last thing: mercenary groups are ranked from low to high: Yellow, Profound, Earth, Heaven, God, and so on. As your group is newly formed, it is ranked Yellow. As you complete more missions, your rank will increase. I wish you a brilliant and smooth path as a mercenary!"

"Thank you, I intend to!"

With the token in hand, the Wutian Mercenary Group was officially established. The five of them were now the founding members.

Just as Wu Tian took the token, a familiar chime sounded in his mind.

*Ding!*

"Congratulations to player Wu Tian for successfully forming a mercenary group. Side quest 'Mercenary King' completion +1. Current progress: 1/5."

"Congratulations to player Wu Tian for obtaining the milestone reward for the side quest 'Mercenary King'."

Hearing this, Wu Tian grew excited. He hadn't expected to complete a milestone just by forming the group. Wondering what the reward would be, he listened intently for the system’s next prompt.