Blackrock City had several places similar to the Black & White Lounge.

  In fact, the lounge wasn’t even the most famous one.

  The true giant — the one with the most credibility — was the Evolutionist Association.

  The Association claimed to be a civilian organization, but everyone knew it had deep ties with the government.

  Under the banner of “serving every evolutionist,” it had spread across the entire Linhua Continent, becoming the largest broker in the industry and earning astronomical wealth through commissions.

  If Evan wanted a reliable team, the Association would’ve been the easiest place to look.

  But he couldn’t risk it.

  If the Zhao family or the Organization had people watching the Association, he’d be walking straight into their net.

  So he chose the more discreet, less famous Black & White Lounge.

  Searching for a Team

  The Black Lounge’s big screen scrolled too slowly.

  Evan watched for a long time but found nothing suitable.

  He asked the bartender, “Any teams heading deep into the Blackrock Mountains recently?”

  The bartender snorted.

  “Tons. Ever since the big companies stopped buying Ground Mole and Water Spout Frog extracts, the outer mountains are basically worthless. Anyone who wants to make real money has to go deeper.”

  Blackrock City lived off the mountains.

  Evolutionists often formed hunting teams to track and kill beasts — every part of a beast was valuable.

  Extracts were the most profitable, but corpses could be sold as pharmaceutical materials.

  Sometimes, if luck was good, hunters found artifacts or spirit plants — evolved flora used to make high?grade supplements, often worth more than extracts.

  These evolutionists were known as Hunters.

  Hunting was high?risk, high?reward, and high?threshold.

  Only evolutionists could do it.

  The bartender handed Evan a tablet.

  “Here. All current missions are listed.”

  Evan filtered for teams entering the Blackrock Mountains.

  After scrolling for a long time, he sighed.

  Either the teams were too weak — only planning to skim the outer region —

  or they were too strong, requiring high?tier members.

  A newly advanced Chrysalis?tier like him didn’t meet their standards.

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  He had considered posting his own mission — hiring strong evolutionists to escort him.

  He had the money.

  But that would be the same as shouting:

  “Come kill me and loot my corpse!”

  In the wilderness of the Blackrock Mountains, escorts could easily become executioners.

  So the safest plan was still to blend into a strong team, cross the dangerous zones with them, then slip away and head to the Rovan Federation alone.

  The mountains stretched west to east like a natural wall.

  Evan needed to cross from south to north.

  The outer region was full of first?tier beasts — manageable.

  The inner region, however, was crawling with second?tier beasts, and occasionally a third?tier monster.

  He needed a team with multiple experienced Cocoon?tier evolutionists.

  But after checking every mission, he found nothing suitable.

  The teams he wanted didn’t want him.

  The teams that wanted him weren’t worth joining.

  I was too optimistic…

  He exhaled.

  If nothing worked, he’d have to hire a few reputable evolutionists and pray they didn’t betray him.

  He was about to return the tablet when a thought struck him.

  He searched for missions heading directly to the Rovan Federation.

  Why force himself to join a hunting team?

  If there was a group already planning to cross the border, wouldn’t that be perfect?

  And surprisingly—

  He found one.

  A mission posted today.

  He read the details carefully, and his eyes lit up.

  It was an escort mission.

  The employer needed protection to cross the Blackrock Mountains into the Rovan Federation.

  No limit on team size.

  No limit on strength.

  But several things stood out:

  Departure: tomorrow morning — extremely urgent

  Reward: not listed — negotiable

  Warning: “This mission may involve life?threatening danger.”

  Evan frowned.

  No strength requirement, no headcount limit, and a danger warning?

  This sounds like recruiting cannon fodder.

  And since everyone knew the mountains were dangerous, the employer must be warning about something else —

  meaning the danger came from her, not the mountains.

  He hesitated.

  It was suspicious.

  It could be a trap.

  It could be bait from the Zhao family or the Organization.

  But it was also the perfect mission for him.

  He could follow the group straight to the Rovan Federation.

  Missing this chance would be a shame.

  I’ll just gather information first.

  If I accidentally lure the Zhao family or the Organization over…

  well, maybe they’ll be the ones getting trapped.

  Decision made, he paid for his orange juice and tipped the bartender generously.

  The bartender smiled, eyes crinkling.

  “If you’re interested in that mission, I can introduce you to the employer. She’s a sincere lady — ask her anything you want. But first, tell me your expected commission.”

  “What’s the usual rate for a Chrysalis?tier evolutionist?” Evan asked.

  “Depends on strength. Usually five thousand to fifty thousand per day.”

  “Then I’ll take ten thousand.”

  The bartender nodded.

  “Reasonable for a newcomer. If you’re confident, you could ask for more.”

  Evan shook his head.

  “No need. I know my limits.”

  To him, five thousand or fifty thousand made no difference.

  He would’ve gladly paid fifty million if someone could guarantee his safe arrival in the Rovan Federation.

  The bartender didn’t push further.

  He pointed toward a secluded corner.

  “You’re in luck. The employer is here. I’ll take you to her.”

  Evan looked over.

  Three people sat at the table.

  He ignored the man immediately.

  His attention went to the two women.

  One was elegant and refined, with delicate features and a gentle, intellectual aura.

  Her gold?rimmed glasses added a scholarly charm.

  She looked twenty?seven or twenty?eight —

  definitely a “big sister” type to a seventeen?year?old like him.

  The woman beside her was around fifty, with a calm, dangerous presence.

  The moment Evan saw her, he knew—

  She was a master.

  She had the same sharp, oppressive aura as Zhang Fantie and the foul?smelling old man.

  A true expert.

  So this pair was…

  An elegant big sister and her personal bodyguard?

  A mysterious employer.

  A deadly escort mission.

  And a bodyguard whose strength makes even Evan cautious.

  If you were in Evan’s shoes, would you trust this elegant lady…

  or assume she’s hiding something?