Chapter 35: Chapter 31: The Dawn of Mercenaries

New Moon City is divided into eight districts.

To the west of Rust Wall is the “Border District,” a lawless area ruled by gangs.

The northern suburbs, separated from the Border District by a mountain, is the “Northern Industrial Development Zone,” known for its developed heavy industry and numerous factories.

Within thirty-five kilometers inside the Rust Wall is the “Rust Wall District,” home to the lower-class civilians or workers of the Inner City.

East of the Rust Wall District is the “High-Tech Park,” a gathering place for small and medium-sized enterprises and the middle class.

Further inside is the affluent “Anmi New District,” the bustling “Lakefront Business District,” and the “Municipal Center” where government agencies are located.

In the center of these three districts lies a vast natural lake named “Warm Water Lake,” filled with artificial islands known as the famous “Lake Heart Island,” where the upper class resides.

Su Mo drove from the “Rust Wall District” highway to the “Lakefront Business District” and finally stopped in front of a tall building.

This building stands dozens of stories high, appearing immensely tall under the night sky, with neon lights scripting its name on the facade—the New Moon City Public Commission Center.

Mentioning the Public Commission Center, one cannot overlook the massive group in New Moon City – the Mercenaries.

Being a mercenary is not an official profession, yet it’s tolerated by the authorities.

The complex structure of New Moon City makes conflicts inevitable, attracting a massive influx of mercenaries who traverse various factions, taking on commissions to do what the employers themselves find inconvenient.

Due to the sheer number of mercenaries, the city is dubbed the “Mercenary City.”

The work model for mercenaries isn’t complicated; it’s quite simple—accept a commission, complete it, and get paid.

This work model grants mercenaries great freedom; anyone can be one, and it can be done anytime.

However, whether or not you have employers looking for you, can take on commissions, or have the strength to complete them is another matter.

Su Mo established his goal yesterday to reach the Peak of Dawn, pondering all night on the path to take.

Eventually, he chose the path of the mercenary.

As a Transmigrator with a god-like strategic vision in his mind, it served as his unique “cheat.”

However, his previous experiences made him realize a crucial issue.

At times, having a strategy alone is not enough.

Because for many strategies to work, connections are a prerequisite.

For instance, in the game “Dawn,” there’s a very useful gun that can be used until the end, and he knows where it is, but he can’t pick it up now.

Because it’s located at an internal facility of the Iron Blood Alliance, and as an outsider, he can’t get in.

The “protagonist” could enter because he already had access permission in the main storyline.

Similarly, yesterday, he knew that Haywood was reliable, but lacking the kind of connections the “protagonist” had in the game, his dealings would cost more, and he couldn’t enjoy the benefits the strategy provided.

Such instances are numerous.

Some strategies can be used directly by him.

But more strategies must be built on connections to be effective.

Therefore, becoming a mercenary became the optimal choice.

As a mercenary, one can meet various employers and intermediaries through commissions.

From the authorities and corporate tycoons.

To local dealers and hoodlums.

Everyone has things they find inconvenient to do themselves and needs to hire mercenaries to help.

A mercenary with outstanding reputation and ability is always welcome.

With connections established, the strategies in his mind could be brought into play, helping Su Mo become stronger step by step.

…

Su Mo walked into the Public Commission Center, where a lot of people were gathered inside.

Some wore camouflage battle uniforms, with sharp eyes, and their exposed skin showed old scars, most were experienced mercenary veterans.

There were also many “intermediaries” there, dressed in suits, smiling and handing out business cards to everyone they saw.

An intermediary is a special profession in the mercenary field, not participating in commission execution but responsible for connecting employers and mercenaries, similar to an “agent,” playing an introductory and guaranteeing role.

A man in a suit saw Su Mo and approached with a smile, “Hello, are you looking for a commission? My name is Li Shun, and I’m an intermediary. I have many commissions on hand, and if you’re interested, we can cooperate and make a name for ourselves.”

If it were a newbie mercenary, hearing there are commissions available, they might start talking right away.

But Su Mo was well aware that these commissions weren’t worth doing.

The mercenary field is extremely free with no restrictions or thresholds; theoretically, anyone could be a mercenary.

Since there’s no official certification, if you say you’re a mercenary, then you are.

Precisely because of this, the number of mercenaries in New Moon City is overwhelmingly high, making it highly competitive.

The phone of a well-known intermediary is usually filled with hundreds or thousands of excellent mercenaries’ numbers; they all have their close partners and won’t be here looking for anonymous mercenaries.

Good commissions are ones that mercenaries scramble to get, yet many people don’t even have a path to them.

And such commissions brought to you might as well mean—only a fool would do this job.

Su Mo looked at the card and smiled.

This “Li Shun” has never appeared in the mainline or side quests of the game “Dawn,” just one of those nameless roadside NPCs.

Following him, you’ll never make it big.

Su Mo maintained a polite facade, keeping the card and saying, “Thank you. I’ll contact you when I have time.”

Li Shun smiled brightly, bid farewell to Su Mo, and continued distributing his cards.

Su Mo first went to register.

After inputting his information, a staff member said to Su Mo, “It’s done, keep an eye on information screens in the commission hall to find suitable commissions for yourself.”

The commission hall had more than fifty reception counters, and people gathered in small groups in front of the counters, looking at line after line of commission listings on the screens behind, which included their rewards.

The commissions here were quite varied.

Most were daily chores, like finding lost pet dogs, helping with babysitting, gardening, and running errands across the city.

There was even an outrageous commission seeking a companion for a trip, requiring a male gym enthusiast over 185 cm with a V-shaped body—the employer was also a man.

Such commissions belonged to “daily odd jobs,” virtually with no threshold, suitable for anyone to earn some petty cash.

More advanced commissions required certain skills and capability, such as providing security at large events, bodyguard services, and armed deliveries to distant places.

These commissions carried some degree of risk and were high-paying, usually not tackled by ordinary people, intended for professionals.

And activities like assassination, theft, and kidnapping involving shady business certainly wouldn’t appear at the Public Commission Center, obviously dealt with in private.

Do not underestimate these odd jobs.

Most Legendary Mercenaries started from taking public commissions, gradually building their credibility and fame step by step.

Nuobai was initially also among the crowd, eating boxed lunches worth 8 Moon Coins while helping others walk their dogs, run errands, and deliver food, earning a bit of hard-earned cash.

Only years later was she discovered by an intermediary, donned a mask, and gradually became the renowned “Silent Death God.”

Moving from bottom to top is a path every mercenary must tread.

But Su Mo didn’t have time to grind like this.

This was merely a stepping stone for him.

His primary goal was to quickly establish contact with renowned intermediaries to directly acquire high-quality commissions.

For this, he must stand out from the sea of people and make a brilliant impression.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep