So Lin Qing came to Stone Desert City and waited. Xiao Yan would arrive in less than half a year.
Although it's unknown whether Xiao Yan will come or not, Queen Medusa will still go to obtain the Green Lotus Earth Core Flame.
With a thought, Lin Qing activated the Tear of the Void and instantly teleported to a deserted alley in Stone Desert City.
Because of its proximity to the Tagor Desert, the area is heavily fortified, and fully armed soldiers can be seen patrolling the city everywhere.
Lin Qing strolled down the street, and perhaps because of his exceptionally handsome face, he frequently attracted the attention of the surrounding residents and soldiers.
"Captain, should we investigate that guy?" A hideously ugly man among the patrolling soldiers said in a gloomy voice.
"No need. Although this person looks like an ordinary person, I guess he is definitely a strong one."
"Also, don't hate handsome people just because your wife ran off with a young man. Don't think I don't know you've been saying a lot of bad things about me behind my back."
"It's one thing for you to speak ill of me, but if you still want to cause trouble for that gentleman, don't blame me for being impolite." The captain flicked his bangs and said fiercely.
"Yes, I understand, Captain," the ugly male soldier said sullenly.
"Haha!" The other soldiers burst into laughter.
After turning left and right, Lin Qing arrived at an inn called Youjian Inn.
"Excuse me, sir," the waiter began, but Lin Qing waved him off, interrupting him:
"Give me the best room, and bring me the most delicious food in the city, including from your inn."
Ten gold ingots were placed on the counter. The shopkeeper's eyes lit up, and he quickly pocketed the ten ingots, flatteringly saying, "Xiao Fu, quick, take this gentleman to room number one."
"Sir, I will send someone to prepare the food right away. Please wait a moment."
"This way, sir." Xiao Fu quickly led the way.
"Shopkeeper, it's true, stop biting. Also, if you don't have enough money, come to me. I want the best food, understand?" Lin Qing said as she turned around at the top of the stairs.
"Yes, yes, sir, don't worry!" The shopkeeper chuckled and put the gold away.
Although the Gama Empire uses gold coins as currency, it is still gold, a hard currency.
In the inn's lobby, there were also some adventurers and mercenaries, all staring at the gold in the innkeeper's arms with shining eyes.
Some looked at Lin Qing as he went upstairs, wondering if they could pull off a heist without being caught by the soldiers.
Of course, most people aren't that stupid; they'd either rob someone in the street, steal at night, or keep an eye on Lin Qing and seize the opportunity.
"Hmph, this is Stone Desert City, so everyone should be careful." The shopkeeper snorted coldly, unleashing the aura of a Battle Master.
At this, all the ill-intentioned guys sitting in the hall immediately quieted down, their foreheads covered in cold sweat.
Little did they know that such a small inn would house a martial arts master.
Seeing that the guys had all calmed down, the shopkeeper nodded in satisfaction, withdrew his imposing aura, and then ordered several servants to go and buy some food.
"Stone Desert City, huh? Xiao Yan's two older brothers are also in Stone Desert City, and they even established a mercenary group there." Lin Qing ate a local delicacy, fried scorpions.
The entire room was filled with desert delicacies, which Lin Qing ate with great interest.
Although it wasn't as delicious as some of the food in my own storage space, it was something I'd never eaten before, and it had a unique flavor.
Lone Ranger Wang Lang quickly finished his meal and left Youjian Inn.
After turning several corners and walking through seven or eight streets, Wang Lang arrived at a huge manor.
The plaque above the main gate reads "Sand Mercenary Group" in five powerful characters.
The fact that the Sand Mercenary Group has such a large estate within the city shows just how powerful they are.
Wang Lang looked at the two guards outside the gate, both at the 12th level of the Battle Power realm, and hesitated, feeling somewhat worried.
After waiting for a while and thinking it over, he gritted his teeth and walked towards the gate of the Sand Mercenary Group.
Before Wang Lang could even get close, one of the guards shouted, "Halt! This is the headquarters of the Sand Mercenary Group. No unauthorized personnel are allowed to approach."
"Get out of here, or I'll break your legs," another guard said menacingly.
"Well, gentlemen, my name is Wang Long. It's like this, I..." After a few minutes, Wang Long explained Lin Qing's situation.
One of the guards, dressed in black, said, "You mean there's a fat sheep in an inn, but the innkeeper is a Battle Master?"
"Yes, a very fat sheep, exceptionally generous. Just for a meal, he threw out ten ingots of gold, probably ten catties of gold," Wang Long said obsequiously.
"He really is a fat sheep." A greedy glint flashed in the black-clad guard's eyes.
"However, the innkeeper is a Battle Master, which is a bit troublesome. I didn't expect the innkeeper to be a Battle Master," the black-clad guard said with some regret.
The other guard in blue could easily see through the black-clad guard's ulterior motives; he simply wanted to do this job alone, but he had a Fighting Master with him.
They had no choice but to report it to their superiors, since their leader was a Grand Master.
The guard in blue said, "Report it. Maybe it really is a big fat sheep. If so, the two of us can also get the leader's reward, and maybe we can even enter the Fighter rank."
Chapter 449 The Troublemakers Are Here (Please subscribe, vote for monthly tickets, and recommend!)
"Come with me. As long as what you say is true, joining our mercenary group won't be difficult."
Immediately, the guards in black led Wang Lang through the gate.
That evening, Mo Xing, the strategist of the Sand Mercenary Group, arrived at Youjian Inn with nine of his brothers.
...
Lin Qing wasn't actually waiting for the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame to appear; rather, he just wanted to try some different kinds of food.
Just now, Lin Qing found the approximate location of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame in the novel Battle Through the Heavens.
That was near Shimo City, no more than a hundred kilometers away. He didn't remember it well before because Lin Qing had only glanced at it once.
After all, the book contained more than 5.3 million words, so when Lin Qing learned that it was nearby, he immediately spread his divine sense.
"Huh? The Sand Mercenary Group? What are they doing here so late at night?" Lin Qing sensed the presence of Mo Xing and the others, who were also confronting the shopkeeper.
"Manager Liu, don't push your luck. Our Sand Mercenary Group's leader is a Grand Battle Master." Although Mo Xing was also a Battle Master, his strength was exceptionally weak.
Even with a fighting master like Liu, he couldn't beat him, so he could only talk tough.
"Let us up, or your inn will cease to exist," Mo Xing said ominously.
"Manager Liu, I don't want things to get too big of a mess. I promise, we'll just grab that kid and leave, and we won't cause any trouble for the other customers."
Mo Xing, who had been speaking in a gloomy tone, suddenly changed his manner.
“No, since that gentleman has checked into my inn, he is my guest, and I have a responsibility to protect his safety.” Manager Liu refused to budge.
"Very well, since you want to play, then I'll play along. Brothers, set fire to this inn!" Mo Xing said viciously.
"Yes." The nine men immediately scattered, preparing to burn down Youjian Inn.
"You dare!" Manager Liu's hands trembled, and fiery red battle aura covered his fists as he attacked the guy who was preparing to set fire in the distance.
"What's the rush, Manager Liu? I'll play with you." Mo Xing immediately stepped in front of Manager Liu.
Although Mo Xing's fighting strength is weak, he can still hold out for a minute or so, which is enough time for his men to burn down the inn.
"I heard you were looking for me, so here I am." Lin Qing's figure suddenly appeared.
Mo Xing exchanged a punch with Manager Liu and stumbled back two steps. Just as he was about to step forward, he saw Lin Qing, who was dressed in a golden robe.
"Deputy Commander Mo, this is the kid, the fat sheep. His clothes might even be made of gold." Wang Lang pointed at the suddenly appearing Lin Qing with unusual excitement.
Manager Liu said anxiously, "Sir, run! They are from the Sand Mercenary Group. They're here to capture you. I'll hold them off. You run!"
After saying that, he stopped and stared intently at the people from the Sand Mercenary Group.
"Mo Xing, you should leave quickly. The city guards will be here soon. If the city lord's mansion blames you, even your commander won't be able to bear the consequences."
"Haha, I didn't expect the fat sheep to come out on its own. Manager Liu, didn't you know the city lord was out?"
"Moreover, the captain of the guard is currently drinking with our leader in the Sand Mercenary Group."
Mo Xing was very happy, as tonight was the night the commander was supposed to host a banquet for the head of the guards.
Just then, Wang Lang revealed news of a big, lucrative opportunity, and Mo Xing, who was short of money, took it upon himself to bring his men over.
He knew that the regimental commander looked down on such a small amount of money, but he did. There was nothing he could do about it, given that he had many wives at home.
Just a few days ago, they abducted a farmer's daughter to be their nineteenth wife. The family has high expenses, so they rely on these fat sheep to supplement their income.
"Thank you so much, Manager Liu. I never expected you to be so... uh..." Lin Qing couldn't think of any words to describe it.
"Isn't all you want money?" Lin Qing changed the subject, and a gold brick appeared in his hand, which he threw directly in front of Mo Xing.
"Here, isn't this gold brick enough?"
Mo Xing stared wide-eyed at the gold brick that was as big as a brick.
Although it might only be worth about three hundred gold coins, it was the first time he had ever seen a brick made of gold.
Furthermore, these three hundred gold coins are enough for the family to live a luxurious life for a while.
"Hehe, kid, you know what's good for you." Mo Xing gestured to his subordinates, and immediately, Wang Lang, who was closest, ran over, picked up the gold brick, and handed it to Mo Xing obsequiously.
"Sir, you... sigh!" Manager Liu knew that things could no longer be resolved peacefully.
Mo Xing, holding the gold brick, smiled broadly and said, "Hehe, one gold brick isn't enough. I have ten more brothers here."
“Yes, we still have ten people here. If you take out ten more gold bricks, we'll let you go.” Wang Lang was surprised to hear that he had become one of Mo Xing’s brothers.
This proved that he had officially joined the Sand Mercenary Group, and immediately, he couldn't wait to curry favor with them.
"Really? Are you sure you want ten gold bricks?" Lin Qing wasn't angry and said with a smile.
Anyway, these guys won't see the sun tomorrow.
"Bang... Bang!"
Ten gold bricks were neatly arranged into a pyramid shape and presented to everyone.
"Hiss!" Everyone gasped as they watched this exhilarating scene.
Even the hotel guests who were secretly watching were staring at the pyramid with greedy expressions.
"Kid, you're really good." Mo Xing laughed heartily, stepped forward, and hugged all the gold bricks to his chest.
"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you off the hook. But this city isn't easy to leave, haha!" Mo Xing turned and left, clutching the gold bricks.