Work Prophet
Chapter 154 - 2 Very good, this is the answer I wanted

Chapter 154: Chapter 2 Very good, this is the answer I wanted

The enraged mercenary clenched the weapon in his hand.

The distance between the two parties was now less than two steps, and with his own arm’s length, as soon as he made his move, the spiked iron ball would immediately fly towards the head of that boastful fool!

The next moment, that disparager would collapse in a pool of blood, regretting his previous actions.

However, just at the moment he was about to strike, the mercenary holding the scythe hesitated again.

Although the guy in front of him wasn’t doing anything, just quietly watching him, for some reason, it elicited an intense feeling of danger within him, as if he had been targeted by a fierce beast!

The mercenary holding the scythe didn’t think he was truly what Jude described him as: a bully whose bark was worse than his bite.

In fact, his hands were stained with the blood of his kind, and not just a little.

It was precisely because of this that he was able to sense the looming danger!

The mercenary holding the scythe couldn’t explain why, but he had a strong premonition that if he really swung the scythe in his hand, the only outcome awaiting him was death.

That’s why he hesitated.

To outsiders, it appeared that the mercenary charged furiously at Jude, but then his actions seemed to freeze, maintaining an aggressive pose yet ultimately failing to strike.

Perfectly illustrating Jude’s prior assessment of him.

The mercenary holding the scythe just stood there, his face turning the color of liver.

Jude, however, didn’t even spare him a glance, instead turning and reaching out his hand to a shorter mercenary, whose face also looked quite unpleasant, seemingly puzzled why his companion became so cowardly at the last moment.

But ultimately, he quietly took out three Gold Coins and placed them in Jude’s hand.

Jude took the gold coins, weighed them in his hand, and smirked, "Alright, you two can get lost!"

After speaking, he looked at the others in the group, "Anyone else wants to leave?"

"......"

No one answered.

The expression of the shorter mercenary changed several times, but in the end, he said nothing, pulling his utterly embarrassed companion back to their original resting spot.

Yet his gaze never left the man with the terrifying scar on his face, his eyes constantly rolling, pondering something.

After dinner, except for those who were to keep watch, most copied the three lizard people and climbed up nearby trees to rest.

Though sleeping in trees posed the risk of falling, it was considered safer than lying directly on the ground where they could be bitten by venomous insects, especially since the swamp came alive at night.

Moreover, if there really were those who didn’t sleep well, they could tie themselves to the branches.

Late into the night, it was the turn of the short mercenary and his companion to keep watch, and they were woken up by the people whose shift had just ended, then went over to sit by the campfire.

Having sat there for a while and patiently waited until the two mercenaries who had been on watch had fallen asleep, they exchanged glances and stood up.

Making their way towards the tree where Jude was sleeping, the two tried to step lightly, but they had barely taken a few steps when they were spotted by Black Beauty on the tree, who looked at them with a wary gaze.

Seeing that they were still approaching, the big black dog also bared its teeth, looking as if it was about to pounce from the tree.

But the next moment, a large hand reached out from behind and rubbed its head, causing Black Beauty’s tense muscles to gradually relax.

"It’s alright, this afternoon I was sitting there and those two cowards didn’t dare to make a move. There’s no reason for them to suddenly have the courage now!" Jude’s voice leisurely rose. "Speak, what do you want from me?"

Being openly called cowards, the shorter mercenary and his companion both looked very awkward.

But they were also worried about how to wake Jude without alerting anyone else, so they were relieved when he woke up on his own, sparing them the effort.

The short mercenary walked over and lowered his voice, "Actually, it’s about what happened during the day, we don’t want to continue exploring, and plan to go back."

"You can leave anytime you want; your legs are on your own bodies, I’m not stopping you," Jude said indifferently.

The mercenary with the scythe interrupted, "But without a guide, we can’t make it out of this swamp."

"Then that’s not my problem. Everyone else has important things to do and no time to take care of you," Jude responded and lay back down.

However, the two men under the tree did not leave.

The short mercenary continued, "When we were at Teacup Castle earlier, I found out something. Before us, there was another squad that had entered this swamp, composed of Arias family’s elite warriors, and reportedly a knight was leading them.

"But I heard their end was not very good..."

Jude sat up from the tree, a cold light flashing in his eyes, "What are you trying to say?"

The short mercenary took a deep breath, "The Arias family has always been silent about the monster in the swamp, but these days we have also gradually found some traces of that creature’s activities. Whatever it is, judging by the footprints, it’s obviously large, and its destructive power is quite shocking.

"In fact, we are not the only ones in the team who regret taking this commission; most are still unsure about how dangerous that thing really is, hence their hesitation. But if I were to tell them about the fate of the previous squad..."

This time, it was Jude’s turn to be silent. After a long while, he said, "What exactly do you want?"

"A guide who can lead us out."

"And a sum to keep our mouths shut," the mercenary with the scythe added.

"How much money do you want?"

"Thirty Gold Coins."

"You think too highly of me. All my belongings put together only total three Gold Coins, which I just won from you lot."

"Then give us your dog."

"Sorry? What did you just say, I didn’t hear clearly."

"I said give us your dog, it looks quite imposing. Take it to Black Stone City, and someone would likely pay for it; it could be worth at least ten Gold Coins."

"At least fifteen. And if found by a wealthy connoisseur, it could fetch even more," the short mercenary appraised.

"Interesting," Jude moved his shoulders, "I just have one more question, does anyone else know about this besides you two.

"How can I ensure that after sending you away, others won’t come forward threatening me, given I only have this one dog."

"No one else knows," said the short mercenary, "Once you send us away, you won’t have to worry about this anymore."

"Good. That’s the answer I wanted," Jude finished speaking, pulled out his War Axe from his waist, leaped down from the tree, and chopped at the mercenary with the scythe’s head.

The War Axe split his skull open, and the blade buried deep into his brain, showing just how fierce the strike was!

Then the ugly-faced man turned and smiled at the dumbfounded short mercenary, "You should not have come to me behind everyone else’s backs, and you certainly should not have tried to take my dog."

The short mercenary shuddered, finally snapping back to his senses. He planned to shout and wake the others while Jude’s War Axe was stuck in his companion’s head.

But the next moment, a dark shadow darted out from the darkness and bit onto his throat!

The short mercenary felt a severe pain in his neck, and before he could utter a word, his vocal cords were torn out by the big black dog.

Meanwhile, Jude pulled the War Axe out, wiped the brain matter off, and returned it to his waist, as if nothing had happened.