Chapter 19: The Azure Sky Hunter Agency

Following the directions on his phone, Qin Chen arrived at an old street behind the Jing'an Temple. At the end of the street, he found his destination, an old teahouse with a sign that read «Azure Sky Hunter Agency.» In front of the agency, a cute little girl was sitting, engrossed in a picture book. Her twin ponytails swayed with her head's movement, and her little feet dangled and swung in rhythm with the book.

«Are you here to commission a task? Our commission fees start at 300,000 yuan; we don't accept smaller tasks,» the little girl said without looking up, her voice clear and pleasant like summer wind chimes, giving off a refreshing and comfortable feeling.

«Little sister, I'm not here to commission a task; I'm here to apply for a hunter position. Are your guardians home?» Qin Chen glanced into the old teahouse, seeing no one inside. He then gently patted the cute girl's head as he spoke kindly.

At Qin Chen's touch, the girl finally looked up, closing her book and pushing his hand away. She glared at him, clearly displeased with being called «little sister» and having her head touched.

«Lingling, is there a guest?» An elderly voice called from inside the teahouse.

«Grandpa, he's here for a job, but he looks too young, probably still in high school. We don't need him,» Lingling replied, looking disdainfully at Qin Chen before glaring at him once more and returning to her book.

Seeing her reaction, Qin Chen felt speechless. Was touching her head such a big deal?

«Being young is good. As the saying goes, a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. Young people don't know the dangers of the world, they're brave and willing to take risks. He might be a good hunter. Let him in, and I'll take a look,» the elderly voice suggested again. Qin Chen looked inside but still didn't see anyone, finding it odd.

«Grandpa, there's a rich target,» Lingling suddenly said, her eyes lighting up as she looked down the street.

«How so?»

«The man approaching is hurrying, with a hint of fear on his face. He's a well-dressed man in a branded suit, wearing luxury accessories on his hands and neck. He's clearly wealthy.»

«Excellent, rich people are our best clients.»

«Welcome to the Azure Sky Hunter Agency,» Lingling said politely as she opened the door for the approaching man.

The man ignored Lingling and went inside to explain his situation.

«I own a fish farm in the western suburbs of the magic city. Every night, fish mysteriously disappear from my ponds. I've had the police and city hunters look into it, but to no avail. If you help me solve this, I'll pay 300,000 yuan upfront and another 300,000 after it's done,» he explained.

An old man smoking a cigarette sat up from his recliner inside the teahouse, listening casually. After the man finished, he lazily replied, «Your story is too bizarre for us to handle.»

«I'll pay 500,000 yuan upfront and another 500,000 after it's done,» the boss offered, sensing that his previous offer was too low.

«We currently don't have any hunters available for tasks,» the old man responded without batting an eye.

«I'll pay 500,000 yuan upfront and 1,000,000 yuan after it's done,» the boss gritted his teeth and raised the offer again.

«Alright, leave your commission form. We'll send someone tonight,» the old man finally agreed, changing his tone.

The boss quickly modified the amount on the commission form, signed it, and left the agency.

«Private hunter agencies make money fast,» Qin Chen thought, smiling inwardly. This kind of haggling business certainly made money quickly.

«Young man, did you understand?» the old man asked, looking at Qin Chen.

«Yes, I did,» Qin Chen nodded.

«Oh? What did you understand?» the old man asked curiously.

«To do business, you need to learn to raise prices like you did; to run a hunter agency, you need to know how to fleece rich clients like the Azure Sky Hunter Agency; and to be like Lingling, you need to have an eye for identifying rich targets and know how to act,» Qin Chen said thoughtfully.

«Cough, cough!»

«Pfft!»

Hearing this, the old man choked on his smoke, and Lingling, who had just taken a sip of milk tea, sprayed it out. The two, one old and one young, looked at Qin Chen in surprise, as if wondering about his logic.

«Cough, cough, young people have fresh perspectives. Since that's the case, this commission is yours,» the old man said awkwardly. «My name is Bao. You can call me Old Bao.»

«Is there anyone else in the agency? I won't be handling this task alone, will I?» Qin Chen asked Old Bao.

«Lingling, partner with him,» Old Bao said, looking at Lingling, who was still drinking her milk tea.

«Old Bao, you're asking me to take a little girl who isn't even ten years old to hunt monsters? People might think I'm a human trafficker kidnapping a child!» Qin Chen said in mock surprise.

«Hmph, who do you think you're underestimating? I'm the master hunter here, and you're just a rookie!» Lingling retorted, pulling out a hunter badge and raising her head proudly.

«A master hunter? You're very smart?» Qin Chen guessed, seeing the badge.

«Looks like you're not too dumb,» Lingling smiled. She liked being praised for her intelligence rather than being treated as a child.

In the evening, the setting sun cast a warm glow over the suburbs of the magic city. The scenic beauty of the area was calming, with lush green lawns and trees lining the roads, creating a sense of tranquility. There was a villa, a few houses, and several ponds, each filled with various fish.

A man and a girl, one big and one small, walked over, observing the surroundings by the ponds.

«Lingling, do you think this is the work of thieves or monsters?» Qin Chen asked, noting the walls around each pond and the large nets covering them. In his understanding, it seemed impossible for monsters to steal fish without disturbing the barriers.

«We'll find out tonight. You, place these items at these locations, quickly,» Lingling said, handing Qin Chen several miniature cameras and a pond layout map from her small backpack.

«These gadgets are quite useful. I'll need to get some for future trips,» Qin Chen thought, interested in the marble-sized cameras. He considered learning more about them to avoid being seen as an amateur.

(End of Chapter)