Chapter 44: Chapter 40: The Count’s Commission

The new “Audiana” gestured for the former to leave and asked Su Mo, “So, tell me, what brings you here at this late hour?”

Now it was Su Mo’s turn to feel puzzled, “Um… no offense. It was that old gentleman who brought me in, that should have been your order, right?”

Audiana calmly said, “Yes, I had McCarthy bring you in. But deep down, you wanted to meet me, didn’t you?”

“You just registered at the public commission center and rushed to take on a C-level bounty from the Public Security Bureau, eagerly heading to the frontier the same day. Even though you know Haywood, you didn’t ask him for support, and after completing the commission, you immediately went to wait outside Anmi New District…”

“Youngster, you’re too impatient. You’re just one step away from writing ’Hey everyone, look at how strong I am’, ’I want to be famous’, and ’Intermediaries, notice me’ on your face.”

Su Mo appeared very candid, “What’s wrong with wanting to be famous? In a place like New Moon City, you either remain a nobody or make a name for yourself. You don’t like those lazy mercenaries with no ambition either, do you?”

His straightforwardness and lack of affectation made Audiana even more interested, “So, you want to establish a connection with me?”

Su Mo timely flattered, “Lady Countess, your name is known among all the mercenaries in New Moon City, which mercenary wouldn’t want to work for you?”

Audiana let out a soft laugh, speaking meaningfully, “Have you ever thought about whether I would be willing to cooperate with you?”

“To be honest, you’re quite a mystery. I’ve never heard of you in New Moon City before, and then suddenly, there you are. Who knows what your background is?”

Su Mo returned her gaze with a smile, “Background isn’t important, what’s important is the quality of work, and trust is built gradually. If you really had no interest in me, you wouldn’t have brought me here today.”

Audiana’s eyes grew profound, “Youngster, I’ve seen many just like you—high-profile and confident. Without exception, they all fell after a brief moment in the spotlight.”

“The water in New Moon City is deep. Being bold is good, but if you charge ahead recklessly, you might drown. Take my words to heart; they’ll benefit you.”

Su Mo nodded slightly, signaling that he took her advice seriously.

Audiana shifted the conversation, “Let’s get to the point. Since you’re intent on cooperating and have waited so long on the road, I owe you an opportunity.”

“I happen to have something that needs to be done. Consider it my personal commission—help me steal something.”

Su Mo felt a bit puzzled.

Steal something?

He thought it would be some kind of intense mission but didn’t expect it would just be stealing something.

Audiana tapped on the operations screen by the railing, and a holographic projection appeared in the center of the hall, forming a 3D projection of a briefcase, with numerous annotations floating beside it.

Audiana slowly introduced, “What you need to steal is this silver suitcase, total weight 5.32 kilograms. Don’t ask what’s inside.”

“According to my informants, this suitcase is with the fringe violent group, the ’Eagle Claw Association’.”

The Eagle Claw Association…

Su Mo searched his memory for the name.

He found that in his “Dawn Encyclopedia,” he hadn’t heard of it.

A group with no name even in the ’Dawn’ game could only be those sorts of nobodies you’d find running around on the streets, where killing one gave you only 5 experience points.

Audiana glanced at her watch and continued, “It’s now 8 PM. Your task is to obtain that suitcase within 6 hours—by 2 AM— and bring it back to me.”

Su Mo asked for a detail, “Is the time limit based on obtaining the suitcase, or bringing the suitcase back here?”

Audiana, “The time limit is based on you obtaining the suitcase, but the condition for completing the commission is to bring it back to this hall.”

Su Mo, “Alright, please continue.”

Audiana’s tone became serious, “Take note, I have additional requirements for this commission—the entire process must be stealthy.”

“I’ll have operatives watching you the whole time, they’re the most elite intelligence officers under me, observing your every move.”

“If they notice your theft has drawn the Eagle Claw Association’s attention, or if you leave any traceable evidence on-site… I’ll deem the commission a failure, and the same goes for exceeding the time limit.”

“At that time, youngster, I’ll put you on the blacklist. You will never—I mean never—see me again.”

Su Mo couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

He didn’t understand the significance of this commission.

Was that silver suitcase so important to Audiana?

If it was, why didn’t she send someone she trusted to steal it, and instead assigned the task to him, someone she just met?

If it wasn’t important, then why have operatives monitoring the whole time?

And saying the failure leads to immediate blacklisting… that’s quite a severe punishment in the mercenary community.

Moreover, why steal?

With Audiana’s power, a group like the Eagle Claw Association that isn’t even worthy of being in the plot could be easily wiped out, so why take a roundabout way to steal?

What is the meaning of the mission being stealthy?

Why impose a 6-hour time limit?

Was this a test? But is Audiana the sort of person who entertains herself with such things…

It’s now August, and he transmigrated a month before the “game’s start”

This encounter with Audiana wasn’t part of the game storyline, so Su Mo couldn’t deduce her intentions based on strategy guides.

Seeing Su Mo lost in hesitation, Audiana chuckled softly, “Hesitating? No worries. If you’re not confident, don’t take it. After you finish your late-night snack, McCarthy will see you out, and we’ll pretend we never met.”

The opportunity to establish a connection with a famous intermediary was right in front of him; backing down wasn’t an option for Su Mo; he had to at least give it a try.

At worst, if he were blacklisted, he could look for another intermediary, it’s not like he’d lose anything.

Su Mo, “I’ll take it.”

Audiana slowly exhaled smoke rings, her tone calm and steady, “The key information is on the holographic display, there’s no backup for you, so memorize it yourself.”

Su Mo, “I’ve memorized it already.”

In Audiana’s pupils reflected the cigarette’s starry ember, appearing unfathomably deep, “You may leave now; McCarthy will escort you out of the district.”

“Farewell, Lady Countess,” Su Mo turned and walked away.

McCarthy followed Su Mo, disappearing with him into the night.

The hall was silent, except for the faint sound of tobacco burning.

“Squeak…” The door on the second floor opened.

“Audiana’s” expression turned respectful, stepping aside, bowing nearly at a humble ninety degrees.

“Tap, tap, tap…” as the clear and cold footsteps resounded, a graceful figure draped in a long dress emerged from the doorway.

This woman’s appearance was identical to “Audiana,” but upon closer inspection, one would notice a naturally majestic aura about her, making even a shattered blade seem humble and insignificant before her.

This was the true self, the real “Count Audiana.”

Audiana signaled her stand-in to leave, silently smoking a cigarette as she gazed in the direction Su Mo had departed.

The broken blade cautioned in a deep voice, “Lady Countess, are we really getting involved? A Razor squadron is already on its way, arriving at the border within 6 hours. If things are exposed…”

Audiana’s tone was calm and steady, “We’ll deal with exposure if it happens.”

Broken Blade licked his dry lips, “I just want to remind you, if this matter isn’t handled well, Hegemony Company will surely trouble us… getting involved entails great risk.”

Audiana knocked the cigarette holder on the ashtray, dispersing the ash within, speaking softly, “I don’t actually want to get involved either. But this afternoon, I received a handwritten letter.”

“That young lady said she met a new friend who is a good person, having saved her life, and is now a mercenary in New Moon City.”

“She also mentioned that since she has recovered from her illness and plans to retire, she hopes, in light of our longstanding friendship, that I could lend a hand to that new friend if he ever finds himself in big trouble.”

By this point, Audiana reached into her pocket and took out something.

It was a pale, patternless white mask, completely white.

Audiana stared deeply at this mask, as if peering into its former owner: “She helped me with so many things over the years, I do owe her at least this much.”

Audiana glanced sideways at the pitch-black night beyond the manor, her voice laden with a sense of mystery, “I’ve provided all the help within my capacity; the rest is up to Su Mo’s own fate.”

“If he can’t seize this opportunity, then I’m afraid I can’t help him further.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep