10: Chapter 10 Rare Professions

"My Lord, Lord Loren..."

Just as Fiana was lost in thought, a hurried shout came from behind. The small, thin Thief from earlier ran to their side, looking extremely excited.

Loren was in a pretty good mood. Looking at the young Thief he had just rewarded with 1,000 currency, he said indifferently, "Is there something else?"

Without the other party's precise intelligence, he wouldn't have been so confident tonight. This guy was certainly worth the price.

"I will guide you. The next chamber of commerce is in the other half of the district..."

"Hmm, lead the way."

The Thief nodded excitedly upon receiving a positive response. Seeing that Loren wasn't as aloof as he had imagined, he gritted his teeth, as if having made a decision. He suddenly stepped forward a few paces and said loudly.

"Lord Loren, my name is Arnold. I just heard that you have established your own territory in the Endless Wasteland. I am willing to pledge my allegiance to you and become your most loyal subordinate!"

After saying this, he knelt on one knee and looked at Loren with a face full of trepidation.

Loren was stunned for a moment. This was the first time he had encountered someone who would kneel and pledge loyalty just like that. His first internal reaction was, who sent this spy?

After thinking for a moment, he recalled that in the original owner's memories, there seemed to be similar experiences. Those professionals who weren't doing well often pledged themselves to nobles to obtain better opportunities for development; such things were not rare.

Moreover, his status was so noble that this guy was actually getting a great deal...

Looking at the other party's uneasy yet expectant eyes, Loren said slowly, "Tell me your reason, Arnold."

Arnold breathed a huge sigh of relief when he saw that Loren hadn't rejected him outright, and quickly said, "Because you are a descendant of the Bauhinia Family, your status is noble, and you are worthy of anyone's following. If I am valued by you, I will definitely obtain a future a thousand times better than the present."

"Moreover, the fact that you can be so generous even when hiring a small Thief like me shows that your character is worthy of praise."

After speaking, seeing that Loren's expression remained indifferent without much change, his heart skipped a beat, and his eyes became increasingly nervous.

Thinking quickly, he recalled the intelligence Loren had asked for today and immediately changed his approach.

"Lord Loren, you are a Frontier Lord who has just arrived in Decker City, so you probably don't have many information channels within the city. I happen to have joined a small gang with over twenty Thieves. Although the gang's strength isn't strong, it is unique in collecting intelligence. I am willing to use the gang to collect intelligence for you..."

Loren looked at this rather clever Thief with a half-smile. Not bad, kid, you've got a bright future. The flattery earlier was decent, and later he brought out his own value; he had grasped the essence of negotiation.

He used the Eye of Truth with slight curiosity to check the attributes of this little Thief.

Arnold

Level: Bronze Low-rank

Bloodline: Human (Unawakened)

Loyalty: 65

Description: An unremarkable Thief; perhaps you could throw a brick from upstairs and hit three of them.

The attributes were terrible, but interestingly, the other party already had 65 points of loyalty before pledging to him. This guy didn't seem entirely useless...

"You are very clever, Arnold."

The indifferent words made Arnold hold his breath. He subconsciously clenched his fists, looking at Loren with extreme nervousness, like a prisoner in court waiting for the final verdict.

He knew that the young man in front of him, who had suppressed the entire situation within the Jasmine Chamber of Commerce, would decide his fate in the next moment.

"Your choice today will surely become the proudest decision you have ever made in your life, and even your descendants will be proud of you."

Loren's expression turned serious. "I accept your allegiance. Swear to me with the most devout attitude, Arnold."

Hearing this, Arnold's mind roared, blood instantly rushed to his head, and his eyes were filled with ecstatic joy.

From today on, he would be a subordinate of a descendant of the Bauhinia Family!! Goddess above, praise you!!

Arnold knelt on one knee abruptly, his right hand on his chest, his head bowed, and he swore with a trembling voice in a humble posture.

"I swear with my soul, I, Arnold, will be eternally loyal to Lord Loren and will protect Lord Loren's glory with my life!"

The moment his voice fell, Loren felt a wisp of Soul Power float from Arnold and then be absorbed by the system. In that instant, a piece of information came from the system, and he immediately sensed that Arnold had now become a member of the Grey Eagle Territory.

After the oath, Arnold only felt his mind shake, and then his whole person seemed to undergo some indescribable transformation. When his eyes looked at Loren again, they were full of respect and worship.

Loren saw Arnold's expression and checked him again with the Eye of Truth. The guy's loyalty had actually skyrocketed to 80 points, Highly Loyal.

"Arnold, I am currently missing a pair of eyes. The intelligence work in Decker City will be handed over to you from today on. You must understand that a Bronze Rank Thief has very little value to me, but a Thief who controls a large amount of intelligence is invaluable to me."

As Loren's words fell, the system's notification sound suddenly rang out.

"Ding~ You have subjugated a Thief. You can change the class of your subordinate. Currently available Rare Class options are: Bloody Assassin (C+ Rank), Shadow Thief (B- Rank)."

In the Noel World, there are five major classes—Warrior, Spellcaster, Knight, Archer, and Thief; these are normal classes. Besides these classes, there are many advanced classes or Rare Classes. These classes often possess extremely special abilities and have always been sought after by professionals.

Rare Classes also have levels; the higher the level of the Rare Class, the more powerful the skills and strength obtained.

Loren didn't expect that the subordinate he subjugated could directly change classes, and for a moment, he couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised.

Fiana, standing to the side, looked at the smiling Loren with an unfriendly expression.

It's just subjugating a small Bronze Rank Thief, right? Is there a need to be so excited? I didn't see you show this expression when I became your guardian...

Could it be that I, a Platinum Expert, can't even compare to a Thief?

She snorted coldly, held her head high, her long neck as elegant as a swan's.

Arnold looked at Loren's expression and was deeply moved; he didn't expect Lord Loren to be so excited because he accepted him.

For a moment, the thought that it would be worth it to die for Lord Loren even now rose in his heart, and his loyalty climbed again to 85 points.

After taking a few deep breaths, Loren regained his composure. Looking at the two people beside him with completely opposite expressions, he had a face full of question marks. Which nerve is wrong here?

"Let's go, to the next chamber of commerce."

Without wasting words, he finished speaking and sat directly in the carriage that had been waiting for them.

Although he very much wanted to see the effect after Arnold changed his class, it was obviously not suitable to change classes on the street; if it caused a commotion, it would be difficult to handle. Moreover, tonight's task was to make money; other things could wait until they got back.

With the Jasmine Chamber of Commerce as a foundation, everyone felt more confident. Under Loren's control, they easily took down three more chambers of commerce.

However, they didn't make it to the fifth chamber of commerce because its president had already gone out for trade and there was no one who could make decisions. Loren didn't dwell on it too much, and seeing that it was getting late, he didn't continue.

When they finished work and returned to the Wanderer's Inn, the clock made by the dwarves already pointed to 11:30.

On the third floor, candles with monster fat made the room exceptionally bright. Loren sat alone on a chair next to a round table, while Fiana and Arnold stood to the side. Fiana didn't want to sit with Loren, and Arnold didn't dare to.

Having witnessed Loren dominate the field, Arnold's loyalty had now risen to 89 points. He looked at Loren with full worship and praised him wildly.

"Lord Loren, your negotiation skills are truly too powerful. Those chambers of commerce will likely be waiting at your door tomorrow morning before dawn..."

Hearing this undisguised flattery, Loren couldn't help but smile.

"Negotiation is a zero-sum game. Whoever holds the initiative can obtain greater benefits. We control scarce resources, and they are irreplaceable scarce resources, so naturally, we can control the initiative."

"If it weren't for the urgency of time and my need to get a large sum of money to maintain the territory, they would definitely not pay only this price. But there is also an advantage to the low franchise fee for the first time. When others see the profits obtained by the franchise chambers next year, how could they not be jealous?"

"When the second franchise comes, those chambers will inevitably double their bids, and by then, this qualification won't be purchasable for 5 million."

After hesitating for a moment, Arnold asked softly, "Lord Loren, why don't we form our own chamber of commerce?"

Loren smiled. "Form our own chamber of commerce? We lack funds, we lack connections, we lack energy... what would we use to form it? You need to understand the priority of things; a chamber of commerce is not something we can operate right now."

What is a zero-sum game?

A flash of confusion passed through Fiana's eyes, and she listened indifferently from the side without speaking. After listening, she nodded imperceptibly to indicate her approval of this statement, but the expression on her face did not soften much, as cold and aloof as ever. The disappointment Loren had caused her was simply too much, and the prejudice in her heart could not be eliminated by one or two things.

After rambling for a bit, Loren didn't dwell on this matter. The bait had been cast; out of the four chambers of commerce, at least three would come tomorrow morning.

When the tens of millions in funds arrived, the Demon Grand Duke Bloodline rewarded by the mission would surely be activated in advance. With money and strength, he would have enough confidence to deal with the Day of Blood on the last day of this month. The development of the territory would get on the right track.

As his thoughts raced, his gaze turned to the small-statured Arnold. Thinking of the system's class change function, his heart stirred.

"Arnold, I never mistreat my subordinates. Merit must be rewarded, and faults must be punished! You have made enough contributions today, and now I will give you a reward. The prize is—a Rare Class."

Hearing this, Arnold's body trembled. He looked at Loren in disbelief, his eyes red with excitement. A Rare Class?!!

Loren ignored him and continued, "I currently have two ways to change into a Rare Class in my hands. The first is the Bloody Assassin, which possesses powerful assassination abilities and kills with one strike. The second is the Shadow Thief, which strengthens stealth effects and allows one to come and go without a trace. You can choose one Rare Class to change into."

A Rare Class was already shocking enough, and there were actually two for him to choose from!!

"Lord Loren, are, are you really planning to bestow a Rare Class upon me?!!"

In the Nuoer Main Plane, most Rare Classes are monopolized by nobles. The difficulty for an ordinary person to change into a Rare Class is as hard as starting from scratch and earning tens of millions in assets.

Now, he, a Thief with a humble status who had just pledged allegiance to Loren, was actually able to receive such a reward! Praise the sun! Praise the earth! Praise Lord Loren!!