Edge of the Apocalypse

Chapter 64: Before Departure

The so-called Black Guild was a hunting group that had not been registered with the federal agencies.

The Hunting Group is an unofficial adventure group that accepts various commissions, ranging from escorting objects to protecting VIPs and even participating in war. The Federation had a rigorous set of procedures for the management of hunting groups. According to the requirements of the federal government, hunting groups must be registered with the administration under the name of the federation, and the identities of all members must be recorded. Every year, the administration will conduct an examination of the regular hunting groups, which will determine the level of the hunting groups.

After hundreds of years of operation, the Hunting Group already had its own hierarchy, and the federal government evaluated the value of the Hunting Group on the basis of star ratings. Usually, hunting groups below three stars could only accept entrustments from within the planet, while those above three stars could accept entrustments from the federal government or aristocrats on foreign battlefields. When the hunting group reached enough star level and paid a fee, they could even buy the coordinates of an alien planet from the federal government, thus obtaining the right to develop it.

The hunting group established in the name of the nobles had three-star privileges from the very beginning. Of course, that privilege was limited to the privileges of famous clans or veteran nobles above. After all, the clan's hunting squad was mainly used for the development of colonial planets. In this regard, the federal government opened the door wide for it.

Regular hunting groups have to pay a certain amount of tax to the federal government each year. In contrast, the Federal Administration provides them with various services. The unregistered hunting groups, also known as black groups, were cheaper than other hunting groups because they avoided taxes. And these groups take on all kinds of tasks. In the eyes of the federal government, they are basically linked to criminals.

At noon, Alan received the information about the Black Widow. The black group is currently carrying out a mission to clean a small town in Area 13 on the surface. However, it has encountered a tough counterattack and the battle between the two sides is currently in a stalemate.

After Alan finished reading the information, Haixin said, "It will take three days for the civilian transport airship to set off for Area 13 on the surface. Master has already asked me to buy a round-trip ticket for you, Young Master." Master means that you should make more preparations in the next few days. It would be best to choose a few capable experts from the family guards to accompany you there. As for expenses, they will be deducted from your personal account. "

Ellen nodded and said, "Mr. Helsing, please choose five guards for me. By the way, I wonder if there are any masters of the Magic Cube sequence in our castle. I need to make some adjustments to my second-grade magic power equipment before I can use it immediately. Of course, I'll pay for all the expenses."

Hearing this, Helen shook her head and laughed, "Young Master Allen, you probably don't know." Masters of Magic Cube sequence design were very rare in Babylon. Most of them were in the hands of the federal government. Even the wealthy families could not control such resources. Not to mention Grandmaster, we even need to borrow people from the Federal Ministry of Technology to maintain our magic equipment. That's why there are no such talents in the castle. "

"In that case, I'm afraid I'll have to pay Mr. Hughton a visit." Alan frowned. If there weren't any talents in Magic Cube debugging in Castle Ugarte, then he could only go to Hughton to modify the Magic Cube in order to reduce the need for Origin Energy. Otherwise, with his current strength as a rank ten engraver, he wouldn't be able to drive a rank two magical equipment.

'"So it's Mr. Hughton. Speaking of which, he used to be your mentor. Yes, Mr. Hughton knows quite a bit about Magic Cube sequences. But where he lives..." Helsinku smiled. "Mr. Hughton is not a hospitable person. Not many people know where he lives. If you want to inquire, I'm afraid you won't be able to find out in three days."

Alan shook his head and said, "No need. He gave me the address. I just need a driver and a flying car."

"Mr. Hughton gave you the address?" Helsing said in surprise.

"Yes, because he promised me that he would teach me the sequence of the Magic Cube."

Helen whispered, "If that's the case, I need to report it to Master immediately. Young Master Allen, please come with me."

When he came to Horn's study again, the Bescot patriarch was buried in documents as tall as a hill. Hearing Helsing's request, Horn raised his head and took off his glasses. "You said Hughton agreed to teach Alan about the Magic Cube sequence?"

"Young Master personally told me this, and Mr. Hughton even told Young Master the address of his residence. It shouldn't be fake." Helsing said.

Horn laughed and filmed, "Alright, let Alan in."

A moment later, Alan entered the study. Horn looked at him and said, "Listen, Alan, this is a rare opportunity. You have to learn from Hughton. Talents in sequence design are also very rare in the Federation, and each family is competing to win over them. You don't even need to become a master. As long as you have the potential of a technician, it's worth the investment of your family. In addition, if you graduate from Dawn Blade, you don't need to worry about your future. "

'"At that time, it's not a problem to be listed in the heir list, and your ranking will directly jump to the top. When you reach adulthood, there will also be a place for you in the Clan Council of Elders. Therefore, you must grasp this rare opportunity and properly become a student of Hughton."

Fifteen minutes later, a flying car left Castle Ujal and drove along the road towards the city of Babylon. Horn didn't go with him, but he was happy to let Alan bring his own collection of good wine, Blue Moonlight, which was undoubtedly a fatal temptation for an old drunkard like Hughton.

According to the address given by Hughton, two hours later the car stopped in front of a small three-story building on the south side of Rio Avenue. The busiest part of Babylon, an inch of land and gold floating island, was the area around Dawn Square and Goldwing Avenue, as well as the surrounding vast urban areas. In the bustling city, the cost of food, clothing, shelter and transportation is not affordable to ordinary civilians.

As a result, it was a gathering place for merchants and wealthy people, who lived far away from the city, such as the Rio Avenue. But retired generals like Hughton are well-equipped to live in urban areas without having to squeeze into civilian areas like Rio Avenue.

Alan did not think too much. He picked up his armor box and the wine Horn gave him. He walked through the garden in front of the small building and came to the gate. "Mr. Hughton, are you there? This is Alan."

His voice wasn't necessarily loud, but Rio Avenue was quiet at the moment, so Alan was sure that the people inside could hear him if there were people in the building. Sure enough, there was a chaotic sound of footsteps in the small building, followed by the sound of the door hitting, and then everything returned to calm. Alan Zheng stood there, sounding like someone was hiding in a room in panic, but he couldn't figure out why Hughton wanted to hide from him.

"Alan?" An aged voice sounded from behind him.

Alan turned around and saw Hughton, wearing a straw hat and holding scissors in his hand, crawling out of the garden like a gardener. "I thought you were in the building, Mr. Hughton," said Alan in surprise.

He pointed at the building and said, "I heard something just now."

Hughton looked at Xiaolou and chuckled, "It doesn't matter. Perhaps it was just my stupid dog."

Alan thought for a moment. If a dog knew how to close the door, it would definitely not be considered stupid. Obviously, Hughton didn't want him to know anything, so he didn't ask anymore. "This is a gift," he said, referring to Horn's blue moonlight.

Hughton's old eyes immediately lit up. He threw the scissors away and rushed over at a speed that was not commensurate with his age. Alan's eyes lit up, and the wine bottle in his hand had already fallen into Hughton's hands. '"Blue moonlight! Is it really blue moonlight? Where did you get such a treasure?" Hughton pulled out the cork of his wine and shouted.

When Alan remembered, Horn warned him not to mention his name. He rubbed his head and said, "I bought it in the family warehouse."

Hughton looked at him suspiciously, "When did Beth Cod put the wine in the family warehouse for sale?"

Fortunately, Hugh stopped asking and pushed Alan into the building. Hughton's home was not necessarily luxurious, and even the furnishings weren't as luxurious as Ellen's. But daylighting is excellent, and the use of warm decoration, so that the living room has its own home of warmth.

After carefully putting the blue moonlight into his wine cabinet, Hughton looked as if he was afraid that Alan would change his mind and take it back. He couldn't wait to hide the wine. Then his gaze landed on Allen's armor chest. "I knew it. Kid, do you want me to debug the Magic Cube sequence for you?"

"Originally, I wanted to wait for my strength to reach the requirements before using this set of martial equipment." Alan opened the armory and took out the Silent Guardian and Dark Destruction.

Hughton swept his eyes and nodded, "Second-grade equipment. The committee knows how to curry favor with them. Why do you need them now?"

"I have to go to the surface."

Hughton casually picked up Dark Destruction and asked, "Go visit your relatives?"

"No, go kill someone. Take back whatever belongs to me." Alan said calmly.

Hughton narrowed his eyes and chuckled, "You're being honest, okay. Give me an hour and it won't be hard for you to lower the usage requirements for these two items. However, the effects will also be discounted."

"I know."

Hughton put down his saber and put away his smile, "Well, let's get down to business. So, you're here to learn the Magic Cube sequence design from me. That blue moonlight is definitely not something you can get with your qualifications as a newcomer to Bescot. Let me guess, it's Lord Horn's personal collection?"

Alan was immediately stupefied. It seemed that Hughton was not that easy to fool. He could only say awkwardly, "The Patriarch warned me not to mention him to you."

"He underestimated me too much. Could it be that I rejected you because of him? After all, I promised you personally at that time, even though I never thought that you would really survive." Hughton said irresponsibly.

Alan's expression immediately became very exciting. It turned out that Hughton did not think well of him at that time, so he was just showing generosity.