Mercenary Harem in Murim Novel-Chapter 211 - – Reason Creating Hallowed Insect

Leo and Astrid went up to the second floor. The interior of the building was much cleaner than downstairs, and everything was organized neatly.

There was no dust or dirt anywhere, unlike downstairs which looked like a construction site. The place had been completely cleaned up.

It seemed that this place had been fully built. It was quite impressive for the workers to finish their job in less than a month.

"It's a nice room." Leo commented, looking at the interior of the building, which consisted of wooden floors and white walls.

A glass wall sat behind a large desk, giving a futuristic atmosphere. The walls were covered with posters and advertisements for Mercenary Union's services.

What left was the person sitting on the desk and became the Branch Manager.

Leo's eyes darted at Astrid, and she looked back at him in confusion. She couldn't understand why he suddenly smiled, but she knew that whatever it meant couldn't be anything good. Especially when he was looking in a certain direction.

'Could it be...'

She didn't have any clue what Leo was planning. Cold sweat started to flow from her forehead, but she didn't dare say anything.

'P-Please don't say it.'

But Leo's gaze remained unchanged and he turned his head towards her. Then, he spoke.

"What do you think about becoming a Branch Manager here?"

***

The grand opening of the Mercenary Union in Qin City was quite the spectacle. Entertainment was prepared, and every onlookers were given free cold drink that could be enjoyed in this hot weather.

The crowd gathered outside of the building to witness this new place that would bring changes to the city. They came to see if there would be anything interesting to see, or if it was worth their time.

Many wandering martial artists based on Qin City waited for this moment. They had heard rumors that this Mercenary Union would recruit anyone that wanted to be a mercenary. The payment was high and there were many jobs available, so this would be a great chance for them.

Some people they knew already went to Chengdu to join. However, a lot of people stayed in Qin City for various reasons. For example their contract with merchants or they had no money to go to Chengdu or family reasons.

So when they heard that the Mercenary Union would also open in Qin City, everyone celebrated because now they could work without going to Chengdu. They didn't have to move and spend money to go all the way to another city, and it was a big deal.

Astrid was sitting nervously behind a table in the reception room. She glanced at piles of documents in front of her, which she had to finish reading today before the grand opening began.

She felt nervous because she wasn't used to this job. It was the first time she had to deal with such a large number of applicants who wanted to become a member of the union.

Astrid was a Branch Manager.

Although it sounded simple, she had a lot of responsibilities to handle. She would be responsible for recruiting new mercenaries, helping existing ones find jobs, and make sure everyone was satisfied.

Not to mention the fact that she would also be responsible for handling all financial matters and other important tasks that came along with being the branch manager.

"Aaah! Why did he make me a branch manager?! I don't want this position at all!"

Astrid cried out loud as she buried her face in her hands. She didn't want this kind of job, especially when there were so many people waiting to join the Mercenary Union. She didn't even know if she was capable enough to handle all those responsibilities, but Leo had given her the position nonetheless.

"Damn it! Why did he do this to me?! This isn't fair at all!"

She was really upset, but she had no choice. If Leo told her to be the branch manager, then she would do her best to perform well and meet his expectations.

Still, this meant he trusted her ability.

'I have no other option, right? Sigh...' She let out a deep breath, then closed her eyes to calm down.

Astrid knew she should get used to this new role and work hard to make it successful. She was supposed to meet with her old family now but couldn't due to the piling documents.

Was this what Leo planned from the beginning when he asked her to come with him? Or it was a mere coincidence?

"Let's just get this over with." She muttered under her breath. With that said, she picked up the documents and started reading them one by one.

Because she had learned how to do documents before, she was quite confident. But still, there were many things she had never seen before. It was quite difficult to read them and understand every detail, especially when there were so many terms that she wasn't familiar with.

"Uh... I want to ask someone... But who? Jack is busy..."

Her mind wandered to Leo and then to Yue Yue. However, they were busy with their own tasks, so she couldn't bother them. Besides, she didn't know how to contact them right now.

"Aaaah!" She screamed in frustration.

She was alone here, and the only person she could rely on was herself. She had to learn everything by herself and figure out what she should do.

"Let's start working!"

One by one, she began reading the documents and checking the details of each applicant. Then, after confirming everything was in order, she stamped the papers and put them in the completed stack.

This task wasn't easy. Her brain felt like it would explode any moment now because she was trying too much to memorize every little detail of every single applicant.

There were hundreds of applicants who came here to join the Mercenary Union, and it took her almost half an hour just to read each one's file. It wasn't something an average person could do, but she did her best anyway.

And she suddenly stopped when she picked up a certain document.

"Huh?"

It wasn't an application document. It was a simple, folded letter. Curious, Astrid picked the paper and read it. And the moment her eyes saw the signature at the end of the letter, she froze and couldn't move.

"P-Pe...Peng..."

Her body shook violently and she almost fell off her chair.

Her eyes scanned through the paper, and her hand trembled uncontrollably.

In the letter, it was stated that Peng Clan wanted to hire Mercenary Union's service for protection. She had never seen this kind of request before, but it made sense since the Mercenary Union provided all kinds of protection services, including escort and guarding duties.

The problem was, it came from the Peng Clan.

And it was addressed to this branch.

'What should I do with this?'

Frown marred Astrid's beautiful face and she was about to reject the letter, but then she thought better.

'It will be rude of me to reject the letter. Peng Clan was a big client, and the payment for this job was also very big... If I just think about myself, I will definitely reject it. But I also need to consider Leader's and the union's benefits too...'

She wanted to decline, but the amount of gold was just too much to refuse. If the clan hired their service, they could earn quite a bit from them.

Not only that, having one of the five great clans as a regular client would be a good boost for the reputation of the union. If Peng Clan was satisfied with their services, they could spread the word and recommend them to others, bringing more business opportunities to the union.

But she couldn't bring herself to accept the offer. After all, Peng Clan was her family and they were the ones that declared her dead and tried to force her to marry that scumbag from Tang Clan.

Gritting her teeth, Astrid tried to keep calm. Her face was pale as her body continued shaking.

She didn't know why they would come to ask for a service. It wasn't like they were short of powerful members that could protect them.

At that moment, the door was opened with a creaking sound and a voice was heard from the entrance.

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"What's up, Astrid?"

Leo, who just returned from a tour to observe the condition of Qin City, entered the room. He noticed Astrid's pale expression immediately, so he approached her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Astrid, what's wrong?"

Leo's question brought Astrid back from her thoughts, and she turned to him in surprise. Seeing the worry on Leo's face, she smiled weakly.

"Nothing." She answered. "Just thinking about something."

Even when she said that, it was clear that she wasn't alright.

"Are you sure? Your face looks really pale. Did you get sick?"

His eyes wandered to the documents she held in her hands.

"What's that?" Astrid's hand trembled and she quickly hid the letter behind her back.

"Nothing! Don't look!"

However, it was too late because he already grabbed it. He read the contents, his expression turned grim.

"I see. It's a job request from the Peng Clan." He said slowly.

Astrid nodded quietly. "I was thinking of accepting it."

"Hmm..." He hummed and thought about it.

Then, he ripped the letter in pieces, surprising Astrid. Her eyes widened and she stared at him.

"Wh-what are you doing?" She stammered out the words, but he only smiled and patted her head.

"Don't accept it if you don't want to." He spoke in a calm voice. "It's not important. Besides, it's not like they can't hire other people for protection."

"But...it will benefit the Union. The money is big and the job is simple."

Leo raised his eyebrow.

"And you're okay with this?" He asked, "Let me ask you, Astrid. Why do you think I created the Hallowed Insect and Mercenary Union?"

"To have control and make profit."

"Right. To have control. But I also make these things because it is convenient and I want it to benefit the people around me." He smiled softly and continued. "If it makes one of my members unhappy, there is no point in accepting this request. You are my member. And you're a family now. If your happiness is disturbed, it is the same as losing."

He sighed, and his eyes met with Astrid's.

"Having control doesn't mean just controlling people. If I control you, that is not control. It's being an asshole. Instead, it is better to control the situation and the surroundings so I can benefit you all. Do you understand?"

Hearing his words, Astrid felt her heart fluttering.

She knew he was right, but still... She wanted to accept the request. After all, this was the best chance for her to make a good impression on Leo.

When she looked down, she felt warmth on her head. His hand was stroking her hair, making her blush.

"I know that you're worried. However, you shouldn't think about others' benefits when your own happiness is disturbed." He said, smiling, "You're the branch manager of this Mercenary Union. Every decision you make indeed affects many people, including yourself. But you also should remember that you have the highest authority here."

She didn't answer, but she listened carefully.

Leo continued. "I know you're not the selfish type, at least not since you joined, so I won't say you to think only about yourself. However, it's best for you to do what you think is best for the union and your own self. Be more like your past self, a selfish princess who thinks only about her own benefit."

"But I can't..." She shook her head. "If I reject it, the Union..."

"It will be fine." Leo cut her off, "Even if you accept it, I'll just reject the request anyway. They offer too little to hire our group who managed to destroy the Murim Alliance. Which means they are looking down on us. They are not worthy to be our client. Do you understand?"

His words resonate deeply within her heart, and she finally nodded slowly. "Alright."

Leo then grinned and continued to ruffle her hair.

"Good! You should learn to be selfish from now on." He said cheerfully, "Think more about yourself and not others! Also, it's not like the world revolves around you. Even if you think it is, it doesn't matter. Now continue your hard work and be a good branch manager!"

"Yes!"

Astrid nodded enthusiastically and stood up. She followed Leo from behind and stopped when he did.

Looking back at Astrid, he asked her again. "Why are you following me?"

"You said that I should be selfish!" She replied, "So I did. I don't want to work today and want to sleep in the office. I'll leave everything to you!"

Listening to her excuses, Leo sighed and patted her shoulder.

"That is that, and this is this." He said, "There is no way I am letting you skip work on the first day."

Astrid's expression immediately dropped.