Chapter 119: Arrival at the Secret Realm

Most of the missions had been accepted, and there was no longer any need to remain at the Mercenaries' Guild.

Upon leaving the guild, Rat suddenly seemed to recall something and said to Lin Xiao, “Boar, this time we’ll be out for at least a day or two, maybe three to five. Is there anything you need to prepare? If so, we can take you to get it, or if necessary, just buy it directly.”

Lin Xiao nodded eagerly. Even without Rat’s prompt, he would have found a reason to go out. After all, the spatial ring couldn’t be casually revealed. He still needed some cover stories—carrying a large backpack and taking a few things out would probably not arouse suspicion.

“No need to buy anything. My car is nearby, and all my stuff is in it. Just wait a moment while I grab it,” Lin Xiao replied.

The others didn’t suspect anything and accompanied Lin Xiao to the parking lot.

When they saw Lin Xiao’s supercar, they were all taken aback. His attire didn’t look like someone who could afford such a vehicle.

Lin Xiao said nothing, pretending to be casual as he got into the supercar. He pulled out a snakeskin bag, packed some clothes and other essentials he thought he might need, then leisurely got out of the car.

“Wow, didn’t expect our Boar brother to be a second-generation rich kid.”

“Driving a supercar and carrying a snakeskin bag—is this the latest fashion trend?”

“This world is truly chaotic!”

They teased Lin Xiao, who merely smiled without responding.

What’s with this Boar brother nonsense!

Sigh, he endured it all for the sake of points.

Rat reached out his hand to Lin Xiao. “Give me your luggage. I’ll hold it for now.”

Lin Xiao was momentarily stunned. Could it be that he wanted to inspect his luggage? That seemed a bit distrustful.

“Uh, Rat, I can manage on my own.”

Rat chuckled softly, raising his hand to reveal a slender finger adorned with a ring. “What are you thinking? Since you’ve joined our mercenary group, we obviously don’t suspect you. I have a spatial ring here. I thought I’d hold it for you temporarily and give it to you when we enter the secret realm.”

Lin Xiao immediately put on an expression of wide-eyed wonder. “Wow! Is this the legendary spatial ring?”

“Yes, our entire mercenary group only has this one. We spent a whole month’s earnings to buy it. We were lucky to find a seller. It has a space of over ten square meters. Without this ring, our mercenary ranks wouldn’t have advanced so quickly.”

Lin Xiao understood. The spatial ring’s utility was indeed significant. Some missions required bringing back the carcasses of spiritual beasts.

Carrying the massive bodies of those beasts back would not be easy.

The spatial ring saved them a lot of trouble.

But what’s with that smug tone?

Is a ten-plus-square-meter spatial ring really something special?

I have hundreds of square meters in mine and a whole bunch of these smaller ones!

Understanding Rat’s true intention, Lin Xiao didn’t hesitate and handed over his snakeskin bag.

Rat took it and immediately felt its weight. “Uh? What’s inside? It’s so heavy.”

“Since I’m the group’s cook, I have to be fully prepared with food supplies—pots, pans, a complete set of knives, and some daily necessities.”

“Wow, carrying all this around, I’m beginning to believe you really are the cook.”

“All right, just leave your supercar here. Parking is free for mercenaries anyway. Ride with us; we’re heading straight to the secret realm.”

“Okay!”

The others’ vehicles were parked nearby—three military-grade off-roaders.

Once inside, the three vehicles set off toward the outskirts of Kyoto.

Traveling took time, so Lin Xiao took out his phone and messaged a few friends in the dorm, asking them to cover for him since he probably wouldn’t be back at school for a while.

Hu Yu and the others didn’t reply—they were likely in military training without access to phones.

Rat drove, Lin Xiao sat in the front passenger seat, and Ugly Bull and Monkey Shen occupied the back seats.

Rat and Ugly Bull seemed taciturn, while Monkey Shen was quite talkative, chatting nonstop with Lin Xiao. His thoughts were whimsical, jumping from amusing anecdotes about the group to whatever dream he had the night before.

Rat and Ugly Bull apparently ignored Monkey Shen’s chatter, having grown accustomed to it.

Thus, Monkey Shen mainly communicated with Lin Xiao, occasionally asking questions.

Lin Xiao stifled a laugh, realizing Rat had deliberately arranged for Monkey Shen to share a car with him.

Monkey Shen’s seemingly casual questions were actually subtle attempts to extract Lin Xiao’s basic information.

These were all games leftover from the old folks at the nursing home.

Lin Xiao handled it effortlessly, only revealing information he wanted them to know.

He even feigned casualness by asking counter-questions, extracting quite a bit of information from Monkey Shen in return.

Monkey Shen was oblivious to this, asking many questions without noticing anything amiss, becoming even more enthusiastic toward Lin Xiao.

While still in Kyoto, the roads were decent, but once outside, the terrain became rougher.

Many stretches were rugged and uneven, but since they were driving military off-road vehicles, they managed fine.

Lin Xiao understood why Rat forbade him from driving the supercar; it would have been ruined on such roads.

Of course, some bumps were inevitable.

The Wolf Mercenary Group members were clearly used to this. Their only worry was Lin Xiao’s well-being.

That was why Lin Xiao sat in the front passenger seat.

To Rat’s surprise, Lin Xiao showed no sign of discomfort.

After four hours of driving, they finally arrived at the location of the fifth-level secret realm.

They hid the off-roaders in a concealed spot, and Rat immediately began issuing orders.

“Everyone, rest here for ten minutes. After that, we enter the secret realm.”

“Understood!”

At Rat’s command, the entire Wolf Mercenary Group immediately began resting in place.

Their discipline made Lin Xiao even more suspicious of their background—they were acting more and more like soldiers.

Rat sat beside Lin Xiao.

“Hungry?”

Lin Xiao rubbed his stomach. “A bit. Should I prepare some food now?”

“No need. We didn’t bring any ingredients. We’ll forage inside the secret realm. That’s when you’ll really have a chance to show your skills.”

“Got it! Leave it to me!”

Rat was pleased with Lin Xiao’s cooperation. He liked this new member, though regretted his relatively low rank.

Oh well, as long as he cooks well.

After all, you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

The ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

Before Rat could say anything, everyone stood up instinctively.

“Prepare to enter the secret realm. Once inside, immediately search for ingredients and solve the lunch problem first!”